Brick Ballads
by Akino Ame
Summary: Post JLU “Epilogue,” sequel to “Tea for Two.” Matt agrees to stand in for Terry in hopes of finding his destiny. But as his latest case gets personal, he must find out who he is, and more importantly, who he is not.
1. No Future

**Warning: Post-"Epilogue" (_Justice League Unlimited_). Recommended that you read "Tea for Two" to understand the premise of this fic.**

Brick Ballads  
Prologue: "No Future"  
  
To the people anyone else who saw them, there was a huge difference between the McGinnis brothers, Terrence and Matthew. Terrence, or Terry, was the thirty-one-year-old heir to Wayne Enterprises, just recently engaged to his long-time girlfriend. Matthew—Matt—was a twenty-two-year-old single college student still stuck with another few years to go because of his indecision over what to major in. Terry was dressed in black while Matt wore white, both as different as night and day, darkness and light. One had a future, a destiny, and the other wasn't sure where to look. But even so, the difference wasn't as immediately visible to them. To Matt, even though he always felt his older brother's shadow, Terry was still Terry and he was still Matt. And that was all that had ever mattered.

The brothers, as opposite as they seemed, sat at a booth at a local diner that night for a simple hamburger dinner. They were still rather close, and had been talking for the past half-hour, discussing Matt's upcoming twenty-third birthday and the latest major that he was considering dropping. As the night got darker, they became quieter, but neither of them was ready to leave the restaurant. Terry tilted the ketchup bottle, looking at it distractedly, acting strangely distant.

"Terry, what's wrong?" Matt asked, almost worriedly. His brother had been acting rather odd all night, almost as though there was something on his mind that he couldn't seem to get out into the open. Or couldn't figure out _how _to, at any rate. "Did something happen between you and Dana?"

"No," Terry answered, but there was still a heaviness in his voice that didn't offer Matt any comfort. "Something's been bothering me for a few months now, and I'm not sure how exactly to tell you."

Now, Matt knew this was serious. "What is it? What happened?"

Terry sighed and seemed to brace himself for Matt's reaction. Whatever he was going to say couldn't be good. "Remember when Bruce Wayne's kidneys were failing and the doctors were checking for tissue donors to clone new ones?" Matt nodded; Terry had taken off work a couple of days to help Mr. Wayne. His tissue material had been a histo-compatible match, and the doctors got to work immediately on the cloning process.

And now that Matt thought of it, Terry had started acting weird around that time. He'd been anxious about something and unusually secretive. Dana had even had to call Matt to find out if he knew anything about Terry's behavior. After he'd proposed to Dana earlier in the week, Matt had chalked it up to him being nervous about popping the question.

_But that can't be it, _he realized. Terry wasn't one for brooding, but that was exactly what he'd been doing all month. He'd always been light-hearted; if he'd been planning the proposal, he would have been a lot less moody and a lot more mischievous. He would have acted like a little kid with a secret, dying to reveal it, but teasing everyone so that he could keep it to himself.

"They found something interesting with my DNA that day," Terry continued, "and I looked it up myself to be sure. Turns out Dad wasn't our dad after all."

"I see," Matt answered solemnly. But he couldn't hide anything from Terry, who had always been good at reading him.

"You knew?"

"I had a bit of a suspicion," Matt confessed. "High school genetics—we learned that black and brown hair genes are dominant over blond and red. Dad's hair was auburn and Mom's was red. It was a genetic impossibility for them to produce two black-haired kids."

Terry relaxed noticeably. "At least you were expecting it. I'd denied it all my life, thinking that maybe Dad or Mom dyed their hair."

Matt smirked. "You also used to fall asleep in class, if I remember correctly. You probably slept right through that lesson."

"Yeah, about that…" Terry started, looking out the corner of his eye. It was late, and the few patrons left in the diner were out of earshot. But still, his voice was considerably lower as he added, "There's a reason for my late nights. The last time I tried to tell you, you didn't believe me, and you probably still won't. But for the past fifteen years, I've been Batman."

Matt smirked again. "I knew it."

Terry blinked, caught entirely off-guard. "You knew _this _too? How long?"

"Probably from the start," Matt replied. "It must have been the day after Dad's funeral. I had a nightmare, and I went to go sleep in your room. I used to do that a lot, remember?" Terry nodded. As much as the eight-year-old Matt had complained about Terry after he'd moved back in with them, he'd often run to him when he had nightmares. And he knew that Terry had had them too, so it was a comfort for both brothers to know that the other was there. "You looked like you'd barely gotten your clothes off before you fell asleep. I was about to wake you up when I noticed something sticking out under your bed. I didn't completely recognize the suit itself, but the mask gave everything away. I stuffed everything back under and ran back to my room."

"Wait," Terry interrupted. "I tried to tell you and Mom once, but you both laughed at me."

"Mom didn't know," Matt explained. "What was I supposed to do? Blow your identity right there in front of her? Besides, you were kind of melodramatic at the time, so I couldn't help myself."

"Did she ever find out?"

"I don't think so. With you, your friends, and me making up excuses for you, I think she managed to stay in the dark."

"Why didn't you tell her then?"

Matt shrugged. "I guess I liked knowing your secret. You weren't around a lot, but I at least knew why. And I liked knowing that my big brother was a hero, even if I wasn't sure I liked sharing you with all of Gotham. And whenever I said that Batman was my favorite hero out of the entire Justice League, you took a lot of pride in that and you acted nicer to me than usual. Granted, I was kissing up a bit because I liked how you paid attention to me afterwards, but you _were_ my favorite hero. I knew who you were out there to protect." They were silent for a moment, and Matt wondered nervously if maybe one of the other customers heard them. But no one was acting suspiciously; an old woman paid for her coffee and left, and a couple over in the corner were still enjoying their dessert. For a minute, Matt thought the blonde woman and younger bald man looked familiar, but then Terry spoke up again, pushing them out of his mind.

"Thanks, Matt. It means a lot to me, knowing that someone believes in me. I nearly lost faith in myself for a while."

"Because of what you found out about Dad?" Matt guessed.

"Yeah. Matt, what I have to tell you is top secret, and only a few people—including Dana and some of the JLU—know it. Can you promise me that you'll keep quiet about it?"

"I've kept your other secret this long, haven't I?"

Terry smiled momentarily before replying, "When I ran the tests on my DNA, I had a hunch as to who our biological father was, and I was right. It was Bruce Wayne." Matt's jaw dropped and eyes widened. "Guess this is one thing you didn't figure out on your own."

"But how?" he questioned. "I mean, he's nearly a hundred now—he'd have to have been in his sixties or seventies when you were born."

"I know," Terry answered. "I went over all the impossibilities in my head when I found out. He's too old and I was already sixteen when he first met Mom. I could only think of one thing: that somehow someone rewrote our DNA."

"How?"

"Bruce was Batman too, around the time of the Near Apocalypse. Before that came around, he and the second Justice League were fighting a government agency called Cadmus, headed by a woman named Amanda Waller. Most of what they did was borderline-legal as they tried to make sure the Justice League didn't become a major threat to the world." At Matt's confused look, he amended, "It's a long story. I'll show you the dossiers on the Watchtower or at the Batcave someday. The League and Cadmus had been at each other's throats for around a year when they realized they had a common enemy: Lex Luthor."

"Superman's old enemy?"

"That's him. Anyway, Cadmus and the League came together to fight him and won. After that, Cadmus became a governmental asset and Mrs. Waller became the liaison to the League. But the one League member she respected the most was Bruce, and she was afraid that one day someone would take him out and there wouldn't be a Batman anymore. So she obtained some of his DNA and got to work on something she called Project: Batman Beyond. Batman Beyond was supposed to create a clone of Bruce to become the next Batman. Instead of actually cloning him though, she waited about thirty-five years until she found a Gotham couple that matched Bruce's parents' psychological profiles almost exactly."

"Mom and Dad," Matt deduced. Terry nodded.

"She injected Dad with a nanotech solution that rewrote his reproductive DNA, resulting in the both of us. Bruce was never in on it, but he definitely found out about it sooner or later. I never asked him how, but he's had the chance to analyze my DNA more than once. He probably found something then."

The blonde woman in the corner ordered another glass of water—her third that night. Her companion shot her a concerned look, but she assured him that she was fine. Matt willed his attention not to stray anymore as he looked back at his brother.

"How'd you find all of this out?"

"I asked her. I broke into her house and started demanding answers." Matt stared at him incredulously. "I had to, Matt. I had to know, and I wasn't sure if I could trust Bruce—I thought he'd done it. She told me the truth, though, all of it. It was disturbing, but it got me to realize that I had the chance to go down a different path than Bruce had. I'm going to meet up with her again next week."

"I don't think you should trust her," Matt advised.

"Maybe I shouldn't," Terry admitted, "but I can't spend my life not trusting anyone. I don't think she'll do anything anymore, but I know how to take care of myself and my loved ones if she does." He stared at his brother hard, analyzing him in just the way Batman would. "You all right?"

"I think so. I will be, at least. Something new to get used to. Although, I don't think I'll be able to have the same kind of relationship with Bruce that you have. To me, Warren's still my dad."

"Still mine too."

"So what's the reason you're telling me this?"

Terry smiled again. "I need your help. Since Dana and I are getting married, I'm not going to be able to be in the suit for a little while. And I don't think Gotham's criminals are going to take a break while we're on our honeymoon. I need someone to fill in for me for a couple of weeks at most."

"You want _me _to be Batman?"

"I'd ask the League to keep an eye on the city while I'm gone, but the criminals here aren't stupid. If the newspapers are going on about the Wayne Enterprises heir getting married at the same time Batman's taken a sudden vacation, they're going to figure it out eventually. If someone else is Batman for a while—someone they wouldn't notice too quickly as not being me—they probably won't think it's too coincidental or anything."

"No problem," Matt answered. Terry looked surprised at his quick decision.

"You realize what I'm asking you to do, right? I need to train you for months ahead of time, and you'll need to fight not only the usual Gotham crackpots, but the League's rogues' gallery too. It's dangerous."

"I know, but I also know that you wouldn't have thought to ask me if you didn't think I had a shot. Besides, I owe you for all the times you saved my ass as a kid."

Terry grinned and shook his head. "Just remember you said that." He inserted his credit card into the slot and paid for their dinner, leading Matt out of the diner, walking right past the couple in the corner. As they passed them, Matt noticed a green ring on the man's finger, and he nearly had a double-take as he looked back at them. They didn't acknowledge him, but he was sure he wasn't mistaken.

The old woman from before was sitting in her car outside the diner. Terry waved as he saw her.

"How well did he do?" she asked.

"Not bad," he replied. "It took him a while, but he finally recognized Kai-ro and Merina back there."

The woman looked at Matt this time and said, "You're not much of a detective right now, but if Terry thinks you can pull this off, I'll have to trust his judgment."

"Big change from when I started out, eh, Commish?" Terry joked.

"Commissioner Gordon?" Matt asked.

"I'll keep in touch," she informed. "If you need any help, don't hesitate to call."

As she drove off, Matt looked back at Terry and asked, "So that whole thing back there was a test?"

"Sort of," he answered. "I needed to tell you everything, and Barbara wanted to see if you'd be able to detect Green Lantern and Aquagirl in the diner. If it's any consolation, it would have taken me just as long to realize it back when I started. In fact, Kai probably would have had to throw his ring at the back of my head for me to get it."

"Guess I'm not much of a Batman."

"Maybe not," Terry confessed, "but then, that wasn't ever supposed to be your destiny."

**Standard disclaimer applies: I own neither _Batman Beyond _nor anything else that I manage to allude or make reference to. The title of the fic comes from a track on _The Big O_'s second soundtrack. As this is the sequel to my one-shot "Tea for Two," it would probably be best if you read that first. Names for Green Lantern and Aquagirl provided by Toonzone.**


	2. Who I Am

Brick Ballads  
Chapter One: "Who I Am"

Breathing heavily, Batman ducked behind a rock formation and tried to formulate his next strategy. In his short time in the mask, Matt had never faced anyone this good before. Terry's rogues' gallery and the occasional League villains were tough, but this was a lot more than he'd expected. The other training sessions had been bad, but not like this. This was the last night he had the chance to train. Tonight, Terry was taking out all the stops and forcing him to prove his skills. And who better to test the substitute Batman's skills than the man he was standing in for?

_I did _not _count on this, _Matt reflected. Terry had already backed him into a corner twice, practically wiping the floor with him with his signature style of street fighting and various martial arts. Matt had blocked a lot of the kicks and landed a few he'd managed to learn during these intense training sessions, but Terry knew how to take a hit. Then, when Matt tried the batarangs, Terry had expertly dodged them with what looked like very little effort, barely even seeing them but knowing where they were coming from. And after that, he'd retrieved them and was currently using them against his younger brother. It was fifteen years of experience against a few months of sporadic on-the-job training, and Matt was running out of ideas.

Peering around the side of his hiding place, Matt was lucky enough to catch Terry's sudden movement before the flash bomb came, blinding him and startling the bats that shared the cave with them. With his eyes watering, he was barely able to deflect the batarangs thrown his way, so he quickly flew up and used the suit's electromagnets to hang upside down from the steel-reinforced ceiling. He pointed two fingers toward the ground, listening for Terry with the audio receptors as he resisted the urge to wipe his tearing eyes. As he was learning firsthand, he wouldn't have the luxury of doing that out in the field.

The receptors picked up the slight sounds of Terry making his way to Matt's right. Trusting in his sense of hearing, Matt allowed a batarang to jettison from each of the holders on his wrists. Once he heard Terry making another move, he threw them both. One hit the electric batarang Terry had just thrown, deflecting it harmlessly into the cave wall. The other hit him square in the chest, as Matt noticed once he could see properly. With Terry knocked off balance, Matt swooped down and engaged him immediately in hand-to-hand combat. Terry caught his punch and flipped him over his head, but Matt grabbed his wrists and pulled him to the ground. As Terry got up, he aimed a kick at Matt's head, but Matt got him in the stomach, sending him staggering back a couple of feet, obviously impressed with his brother's technique. Matt glided to him, remaining in air to kick, but Terry held up both arms to block him. Matt bounced off of him, but flipped in midair and threw a surprise electric batarang in Terry's direction. Having missed it, Terry was unable to prevent it lodging in his lightweight body armor and fell to his knees from the shock. Matt got into a fighting stance when he landed, watching as Terry removed the batarang from his clothing, prepared to throw it back…

"All right, you two, that's enough," interrupted a voice. The brothers turned to look to the staircase, where the soon-to-be Dana McGinnis stood. "Who's supposed to be training anyway, Terry?"

Terry smirked and deactivated the batarang. "You're right. Matt, we'd better get changed."

This time, Dana had the quirky grin. "It's about time. It's three hours until the ceremony, and I'm not going to be late for my own wedding. Neither are you, Batman or not."

Matt removed his mask and stripped down to the extra layer of armor he was wearing under the suit to cover up for the fact that he didn't quite have his brother's muscular build. With the armor, the general public didn't suspect that someone else was in the suit, although Terry's rogues' gallery had noticed something was off. More than once, a criminal had asked Batman if he was feeling all right, wondering why his reflexes and wit weren't as sharp. It was somewhat amusing, but he was a little concerned that someone would realize that he wasn't the "real" Batman; he was just filling in during the real guy's honeymoon.

They returned upstairs, with a satisfied Dana behind them. Bruce Wayne sat at his desk nearby, watching them with an eyebrow raised. Terry matched his response and commented, "You put her up to this, didn't you?"

"I didn't have to," Bruce replied. "You managed to find the one woman in Gotham who won't let even Batman stand in her way." He and Terry stared at each other for a moment before finally, Terry sighed.

"And now I see why you stayed single," he muttered, receiving a joking slap to the shoulder from Dana. "Come on, Matt."

"Yeah," he agreed. "The last thing we want to do is make you late for this."

The wedding itself had been as small as they could make it. While the ceremony was held at a local church, the reception was at a hall they'd booked almost immediately after they got engaged. The rings were intertwined bands of gold and platinum—one precious metal and one twice as precious, symbolizing something few of the attendees could ever hope to understand. But the press would never report on it. Despite the raving media attention they'd received in the three months leading to their marriage, Terry and Dana had managed to keep a comparatively short guest list limited to family and close friends. Thanks in part to moving the wedding up a few months than initially reported and with the help of Commissioner Gordon's excellent security force, the service remained private. Granted, a few reporters tried to crash the party, but they were "kindly" escorted out by the groom's brother. And as Matt returned from throwing another reporter out onto the sidewalk, he shared a grin with Terry. Being trained in Batman's unique combination style of fighting definitely had its uses outside the suit as well.

"You look like you enjoyed yourself," commented Max Roberts. Maxine Gibson, Terry's best friend from high school and one of the few people that knew about his secret life, had married and moved to Central some four years ago to work in journalism. Her response upon hearing that Terry and Dana were getting married was the same as Matt's: "It's about time."

Matt took a sip of champagne before answering, "I can't believe how many reporters in Gotham can really be that stupid. No offense to your career, of course."

"I understand," she answered. "Just like a lot of other people, some journalists just don't know that no means no." In a lower voice, she added, "So how's your temp job going?"

In the same low tone, Matt replied, "Could be better, could be worse. I think it's pretty clear that I'm not Batman, but it's not so obvious that everyone in Gotham has figured it out."

"And your day life?" Max added. Matt's responding look indicated that he did not want to talk about it. "Don't worry about it. You'll find your niche. I never expected to become an investigative reporter when I graduated high school."

"Funny. From the way Terry mentions how you figured out nearly every secret he had, it was pretty obvious."

Max rolled her eyes. "Never try and offer advice to a McGinnis man. They always manage to throw it back with plenty of sarcasm." Matt grinned. "But really, I mean it. You'll find something you're good at and you like. In Terry's case, he was really the last of Bruce's kids and the only one who bothered to stick around. It helped keep Wayne Enterprises in the family, in a way." Matt looked at her from the corner of his eye. Max wasn't in on this particular secret because of his and Terry's sensitivity to the subject; had she figured it out on her own? But she replied, "You know what I mean," and he set his fears aside. Just an innocent comment he'd taken the wrong way.

"Yeah," he answered casually, forgetting his suspicions. "Another part of that whole destiny thing Terry complains about from time to time."

"Anyone who's in on his other life is bound to hear the destiny spiel when he's pissed off," Max assured. "I must have gotten it at least every other month back in college. And I pity Dana for all the times she must have heard it."

"From what I heard, he _stole_ the suit to begin with," Matt commented. "I don't see how he can say that Bruce was forcing his destiny on him."

"He thinks with his heart and not his head," Max explained. "Granted, it helps him trust or distrust people based on intuition alone, and his hunches on cases usually turn out to be right, but when he loses his temper, there's no reasoning with him. Dana's really the only one that ever managed to talk him down when that happened." She laughed. "Now I pity their kids." Matt couldn't help but laugh at this thought too. His future nephews and nieces were going to have the strangest family life ever.

_Guess there's no surprise there, considering where we come from, _he mused. Pushing that sobering thought aside, he walked out to the dance floor and found his date, Cassie Jenkins, rubbing her feet. "Tired already?"

"A little," she admitted. "But mostly it's these shoes." She took them off and placed them aside. "Ah well, who really needs them anyway? Just don't step on my feet or you're a dead man."

"I won't," Matt promised with a laugh. Cassie was a girl he'd been dating off and on for a little while, and Terry had given him the okay to invite her as his date. Their relationship wasn't anything serious—just dating around until they found the right person.

Of course, unlike Matt, Terry had been lucky enough to find the right one his first try.

"Something wrong?" Cassie checked, noticing the slight irritation on his face.

"Not really," he answered. "Just cursing my brother's luck at everything." He smiled, showing that there were no actual hard feelings, and she laughed.

"Who knows?" she replied. "Maybe good luck runs in your family." He really didn't want to think about what ran in his family, so he just shrugged, smiled, and kept silent. That had been his secret to dealing with women for a while now. He liked to think it was working well.

They stopped when Cassie's feet started aching again. As he went over to get her some champagne, Matt passed Bruce and Commissioner Gordon, who were talking about the guests. They didn't stop talking when he came near them, so he assumed it wasn't too private a conversation.

"I'm a bit surprised Tim made it," Bruce remarked.

"He feels like he owes Terry his life," the Commissioner reminded him. "He wanted to see him have something good come out of his." She was silent for a moment before adding, "So Dick didn't respond?"

"Dana handled that," he replied, "so I don't know."

"He's never even met Terry, but he won't just because of his connection to you," she added. "It's a shame these things have happened." She looked up and caught Matt watching them. He started to get nervous as she walked over to him, but she didn't look like she was upset. Still, she was serious, so he didn't let himself relax.

"Um, hello, Commissioner," he started weakly. "Is something wrong?"

"Don't worry, kid," she assured. "You look just like your brother when you do that, only he usually did something to deserve that look. You're not in trouble. But I do have something important I want to talk to you about." The look on her face said that she wasn't going to let him walk away without this talk.

"Can I just drop this off for my date?" he asked. When she agreed, he gave Cassie the champagne flute and excused himself. The Commissioner took him to a small room just off of the main hall where the reception was being held. The privacy only reinforced her earlier statement about this being important.

"Terry and Bruce told me that you've agreed to be a permanent substitute for Batman," she stated.

"Yeah," Matt answered.

"You do know what that entails, right?" He nodded grimly. "If anything happens to Terry, you've agreed to take over the protection of Gotham City. This means that not only do you have to fill in for minor things such as him being out of town for a week for business, but you have to be ready to become the third permanent Batman if he is severely injured or dies."

He nodded again. Of course he understood; the full meaning of this had hit him the night before, and he'd been unable to sleep because of it. In a best-case scenario, Terry would be injured but able to return to work after an extended period of time. In the worst-case, he would die without having any children that could train to take over, and Matt would have to completely take over the legacy, to the point of training his own children. He'd realized that it would be beyond Batman Beyond, and that thought had been bothering him ever since.

Commissioner Gordon seemed to know what he was thinking and added, "I know you hate thinking about Batman Beyond, but you have to realize that this is exactly what Waller intended for Terry. But you don't seem to be in the plans, so you have a choice. There's still time for you to back out if you're not sure. Bruce and Terry can keep the legacy alive until the next generation comes. You don't have to do this."

"But I do," he insisted.

"If this is about you repaying a debt to Terry, then that's not a reason," she argued. "This entire city owes a massive debt to him, and they're not going to this extreme. You heard what Bruce and I were discussing about Tim Drake: Terry saved his life and sanity after fifty years of us being unable to. Tim repays his debt by watching out for Terry the same way I do. We check to make sure he's not getting himself into too much trouble, we offer to help when things go wrong and he needs more than who he has with him now, and we celebrate with him when things go right." She removed her glasses and started cleaning them with a handkerchief. "I suppose I'm notorious for trying to talk people out of this job. I even tried to tell your brother to quit when he first started. I looked for every way to keep him out of investigations, and I berated him for every tiny mistake he made. But he proved that he was determined to go through with this completely. I guess, in your case, I want to be sure that you're doing this for the right reasons. Bruce did it to clean up the mess that caused his parents' deaths. Terry started out for revenge, but then started doing it for redemption and because he knew he had the power to once again clean up the city and make it safer for all of us. If you're doing this out of gratitude, then this isn't what you should be doing."

"Trust me, that's not it," he replied. "I told Terry that, but now I'm not so sure that's why I originally agreed. I don't have a future; I can't find anything that makes me think, 'That's what I want to do with my life.' But those first few nights I filled in, I felt more self-satisfaction than I ever had before, and I found that I was liking the detective work, trying to solve the puzzles and everything. Even if being Batman isn't my fate, I think I'm getting closer to finding what it really is." As the words came out, he suddenly realized that this was another test, one of the Commissioner's own. She'd trusted in Terry's judgment to the extent of his brain, but she wanted to see for herself about his heart.

Finally, she nodded, and said, "He's leaving Gotham in good hands, then," and walked out of the room. Matt smiled to himself at the realization that he'd passed this one.

It was one or two when the party ended and everyone left for home or a hotel. The mess was cleaned up, and soon the reception hall showed no signs of there ever having been guests there. The streets were relatively quiet because of the security detail making one last patrol to ensure the guests got home safely. Everything was suddenly normal, with one major exception.

Terry and Dana grabbed their luggage back at the Manor and headed off for their honeymoon, and Matt was left with Gotham in his care. As he walked around the mostly empty mansion, he hoped that babysitting their kids would be less nerve-wracking. There was so much for him to do, so much that he could easily screw up… It was hard for him to concentrate on the fact that Terry trusted his ability to handle the situation because the situation was suddenly so much larger without his brother around to keep everything in order.

Sighing, he opened the secret door behind the antique grandfather clock and walked down to the Batcave. He wasn't trying to keep silent—Bruce would know he was there anyway—but he still tried to stall as long as he could. He didn't know why he had to ask this, but he couldn't go without finding out. Maybe Terry couldn't ask, but he could. At least, he _thought _he could.

Bruce didn't even turn from the computer when he informed, "Everything's set for you to patrol tomorrow."

"Thanks," Matt answered. It had been decided that Bruce wouldn't monitor him, after the near disaster of his first patrol. During a battle against some of Aquagirl's rogues, Matt had nearly drowned when he couldn't handle hearing Bruce's orders at the same time as Warhawk's. It would probably better if he trusted his own judgment.

"Is there something else?" Bruce asked. He turned around this time, and Matt was suddenly completely aware of how frightening the old man could be even when he wasn't trying. He realized how stupid his question was going to sound and wondered why he'd come down here to ask. He knew he couldn't have the same relationship with Bruce that Terry had—why was he doing something then that Terry wouldn't even try?

The last part of that question was the answer whispered in the back of his mind: _Because Terry wouldn't try._

Matt took a deep breath and managed to speak, surprising himself with his directness. "How did you know that Terry and I were your kids? He said you probably knew the whole time, but he never asked."

The hard look Bruce always seemed to have on his face softened somewhat, giving Matt some ease of mind. Calmly, he replied, "When your father was killed, his picture was all over the news. Terry didn't look anything like him, but I didn't think too much of it. That sort of thing happens often." Matt nodded. "Sometime after he went home after his first battle, I got a call from Amanda Waller."

"And you figured it out from there?" Matt guessed. Bruce nodded.

"On some level, it didn't surprise me what she'd done. She'd done it before: Supergirl, the Ultimen… I was about to insist that he return the suit the next day, just as I'd been planning to tell him, but I knew that he needed to be able to do this."

"Because you did?"

"No." Matt was somewhat taken aback by this, so Bruce continued, "Don't be fooled into thinking that your genetics determine your path. I looked up Terry's record that night. He came close to losing himself to what other members of his old gang had. He needed to find himself, and he did that night. I couldn't take that away from him. I'd already done that with my other sons." His eyes drifted toward the glass cases in the back, and Matt immediately understood that he was talking about Dick Grayson and Tim Drake, the former Nightwing and Robin. He'd heard the stories, and now everything was starting to make sense.

"I think I get it now," he decided. "And I'll keep in mind what you said, that my blood doesn't determine my fate."

"Good," Bruce replied. "I'll see you tomorrow before your patrol."

Matt nodded and made his way out, taking one last glance at the four costumes in the cases against the wall. Each represented a hero from the past whose legacy was strong enough for him to still feel now. But his attention was on the fifth case, the empty one closest to the exit. It represented a hero of the present, whose legacy was already beginning to show. It also represented a man who was not yet a hero and whose fate had not yet been decided. But it didn't seem to matter as much right now. Right now, he had answers to a few of the questions of his life, and that was slowly bringing him to find who he was.

**Warning note ahead of time: I am crazy about symbolism, so keep an eye open for anything of that sort that I might put in. I apologize ahead of time if it gets to be too much. Fighting techniques borrowed from the "Chase Sasuke" arc of _Naruto._ Also the name "Cassie Jenkins" is based on a pseudonym given out by Angel in _Big O._ Nothing else really in the way of major references. As a future note, however, I will not actually be bringing in Dick Grayson, though I will manage to have Matt come to terms with that part of the past. Feedback is appreciated, as well as any suggestions.**


	3. Antithesis

Brick Ballads  
Chapter Two: "Antithesis"

A few "on-the-job training" patrols and four official ones, and Matt was starting to understand the language behind Terry's world. The Metropolis Watchtower was the Metro Tower—the name "Watchtower" brought back memories of the original space stations the first and second Justice League had used. In private, it was all right to call Green Lantern "Kai-ro" or just "Kai" for short and Aquagirl "Merina," though it was harder to call Warhawk "Rex" since he and Batman weren't always on the best of terms. Superman was "Clark Kent" or "Kal-el"—he answered to either, though he was used to hearing "Kent" from whoever wore Batman's suit. And no matter how outdated it was, "slag it" was still an appropriate epithet when things went to hell, as were a number of other profanities. And he was seriously considering shouting them all as he stood in the middle of the Gotham streets, facing his first major screw-up.

It had started off easily enough—most major screw-ups do. He'd been on patrol and found a woman shoving a mother to the side of a road and snatching her baby out of the stroller. Matt flew down and stopped her, carefully trying to reason with her. The last thing he wanted was for the baby to be injured. The woman explained that she was the baby's real mother, but the other woman had apparently "taken" the baby away from her. By then, the other woman had recovered from her fall and was screaming back at the first that she'd legally adopted the child; the mother had been a drug addict, so social services had taken the baby out of her custody. The argument continued on and on, and finally Matt had to take the baby from both of them as the women started to fight. He tried to get them both to calm down, but it wasn't working, and the baby, already crying from the stress of the experience, was terrified at the sight of the Batman mask. He had no idea what to do, so he just waited for Commissioner Gordon to show up and take the problem out of his hands.

"Damn," he muttered, resting the back of his head against the side of a building. His head hurt, his ears hurt, and he was starting to feel nauseous. He wasn't sure if he hoped it was stress or sickness.

"Not easy, is it, kid?" the Commissioner asked, walking toward him. "We're getting a statement from both of the women and from social services. Hopefully, this whole mess will be sorted out before long."

"That's good to hear," he sighed.

"Be glad it's the fourth day and not the first," she assured. "Otherwise you wouldn't be able to recover as easily."

"It's still the first week," he insisted. "Terry hasn't been gone for very long, and I'm already screwing up."

"You didn't expect this kind of thing when you agreed to take the job, right?" she guessed. "We never do. You should go to the Metro Tower, take your mind off of everything."

"Being around a dozen other superheroes will take my mind off of things?" Matt questioned sarcastically.

"You never know," she answered with a smile. "It's not always about saving the world, you know."

"All right," he agreed. "I can at least get some advice and look up some files I haven't read yet." He called the Batmobile over, flew up to it, and set off for Metropolis, planning to leave every bad thought behind him in the shadows of Gotham.

* * *

Matt sat at a computer in the Metro Tower, ready to look up some files. When prompted to type a pass-code, he carefully typed 72305, the number he'd been issued in order to access the Justice League's files. The page was still under construction—the League thought they had more than three months to set everything up for him, after all—so he logged out and typed in 11099, Terry's pass-code. His brother had only lent it to him in case he needed to see any files that weren't accessible through his own account, but he'd put everything in read-only format and locked a few files of cases he apparently didn't want Matt interfering with. It took only a minute for Matt to lose the battle against his immaturity, and he made a face before opening up his brother's bio and looking through it. It wasn't that he didn't know Terry; he didn't know Batman, which was the problem. Only now did he have a chance to see what his brother was like under the mask, and he was taking full advantage of it.

Terry's list of accomplishments was impressive. At sixteen, he'd gathered most of his rogues' gallery—namely Inque, Blight, Stalker, Spellbinder, and Shriek. Sometime later, Superman had asked him to join the League but he declined. At seventeen, he'd defeated the Joker, something Bruce couldn't even do. He was currently on part-time status with the Justice League Unlimited, dedicating most of his time to Gotham while remaining on call to help with any cases the rest of the JLU needed him for. He was a black belt in aikido and tae kwon do and one of the few in the League that depended on carefully honed fighting talent rather than superpowers. He refused most off-world missions, but he'd been one of the League representatives for the peace negotiations between the Gordanian home-world and New Thanagar two years ago—called in originally to solve a double homicide by radicals opposed to the treaty.

Matt sighed. His own bio was lackluster at best. He hadn't been on the job long enough to accomplish anything noteworthy. Most of what was written for him was written for Matt McGinnis, not Batman III. The only things that really stood out were the notes on his birth (_Born: August 24, 2051 as a result of Project: Batman Beyond_, much like Terry's notes of _Born: November 10, 2043 as a result of Project: Batman Beyond_) and references to the times when his civilian life had crossed with Terry's life as Batman. At one of these notes, he frowned. Either Terry or Bruce had written it in, and Matt wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel about it. Even so, he felt a slight pang of betrayal. Didn't they trust him?

Someone knocked on the door to his quarters. He called out, "It's open!" and continued looking through the bios. He looked up when Green Lantern walked inside and came over to read over his shoulder.

"Hmm, interesting," Green Lantern murmured. "They forgot to mention that Terry and Rex tried to kill each other during the New Thanagar peace talks."

"What?" Matt asked, looking at him in surprise. Lantern looked completely unfazed.

"The Thanagarian ambassador who was murdered had last spoken to Warhawk before he was found dead. Both the Thanagarians and the Gordanians were ready to blame it on him before the Gordanian ambassador was also found dead, and Warhawk had an ironclad alibi. When Terry arrived, Rex immediately demanded to be part of the investigation. Terry foolishly agreed."

Matt couldn't help but grin. "A disaster?"

"An _unmitigated _disaster," Lantern corrected. "They were arguing throughout the entire investigation, and wound up actually fighting each other. If Superman hadn't broken it up, it would have gotten a lot worse." He glanced at the ceiling as he tried to remember exactly what had happened. "As I recall, they got a few good hits in beforehand. Terry broke Rex's ribs just minutes before Rex broke Terry's arm. I got put on the investigation team immediately after that as damage control so they wouldn't try to kill each other again."

"And they're still on the same four-man cell?" Matt questioned in disbelief.

"They usually get along better than that," he assured. "But they were exasperated during that mission. The Gordanians and the Thanagarians were rushing Terry to solve the case, and the Thanagarians were already treating Rex badly enough before they accused him of murder."

"Why?" Matt asked.

"It's my parents," Warhawk answered from the door. Green Lantern flashed him an apologetic look, but he shrugged it off. "My father was Green Lantern John Stewart, part of the original Justice League, who had derailed the Thanagarian Invasion. My mother was Shayera Hol, formerly Hawkgirl, a traitor to the people of Thanagar for doing what she knew was the right thing."

"Sorry," Matt apologized.

Warhawk shrugged again. "Nothing you can help with. New Thanagar's just as stubborn as the old one. They don't let go of the past easily."

"They're the ones who should most of all," Green Lantern commented. For Matt's sake, he clarified, "They'll make a few sacrifices to improve their standing in the intergalactic community, but they have strict lines they won't cross. For example, they accept the Green Lantern Corps, but they won't let any of their own become Lanterns themselves. If they'd just let go of the old wounds, they'd be able to prosper even more than they had in their old glory days."

"Yeah, but no one's as deep a thinker there as you are, Kai," Warhawk replied. "Warlike people, remember? Anyway, I just wanted to come in and see how the new guy was adjusting."

"I'm doing okay," Matt answered. "Takes a little getting used to."

"Terry probably gave you the run-through," Warhawk commented, "but just in case: Talk to Kai or Merina if anything's wrong. Kal too if you need it. I'm not good with non-League related issues."

"I'll be fine," Matt assured, even though he hardly felt that.

"All right then," Warhawk answered. "I'll go then."

"Rex," Lantern called out before he could leave. Warhawk turned around. "Don't let them bother you."

"I'm not," Warhawk answered, but Matt thought it sounded too much like his own "I'll be fine"—I understand what you're saying and I'm glad you did, but I need to figure things out on my own right now.

"More New Thanagar issues?" Matt guessed when Warhawk had left. Green Lantern nodded.

"His latest mission and they specifically requested him. A million Thanagarians remain from the old war—most of them the result of their concentration on repopulation—and all of them have the same prejudices of their parents. From one standpoint, I understand: Billions were lost when the Gordanians invaded Thanagar. But they forget how many people they killed in their attempts to get to the Gordanian home-world."

"Selective memory," Matt agreed to Lantern's nod.

"I'm going to go train," he informed. "I was going to invite you, but if you're busy here…"

"Not really. Just looking through those files—get a better idea of this world. It won't be a problem."

"All right then," Lantern replied. "Let's go down to Training Room Three." Matt closed his bio with _that message_ and logged out before walking alongside Green Lantern as they headed for the training facility.

The door to Training Room Three was locked, and they could see Barda's team in the middle of an intense training session. Knowing it would take too long to wait for them to finish, they turned toward Room Four, where another Leaguer was fighting a ninja battle program. Matt was about to suggest that they try another, but Lantern seemed interested in watching his teammate train. The man's black braid whipped around him as he twisted out of the way of shuriken and throwing knives that Matt remembered were called "kunai." His dark blue suit was in a traditional Japanese style, but with a mask that covered the lower half of his face and a headband across his forehead. Then, in an instant, he disappeared and reappeared behind the training android and smashed it to the ground, ending the simulation. Seeing Green Lantern and Batman through the window, he waved and opened the door.

"Did you need to use this room?" he asked. "I would have been quicker if you'd told me."

"We only just got here," Lantern assured. "Barda's cell was using Training Room Three, where Batman and I were planning to practice. We noticed you were almost done, so we decided to wait. How was the simulation, Shinobi?"

Shinobi wiped the visible part of his face with a towel. "A little too easy for my taste. It'll be perfect for what you're doing."

"That's good," Lantern replied.

"There are still shuriken and kunai in the equipment room if you need them," Shinobi offered. "I'll cover the window so you can take off your mask, Batman."

Matt was caught off-guard by that statement but still managed to say, "Thanks."

Shinobi raised an eyebrow at the sound of his voice, but he quickly shrugged it off and answered, "No problem," before leaving. As he walked out the door, he pressed a button on the wall, and blinds covered the large window on the side wall. Hesitantly, Matt removed the mask.

"It's all right," Lantern—Kai—assured, taking off his ring. His Green Lantern uniform dissolved into ordinary civilian clothes, though with a traditional Asian influence similar to Shinobi's costume. "Every once in a while, the more 'normal' members of the League use the training rooms for basic hand-to-hand combat. No masks, no costumes, just a chance to let off a little steam. Shinobi's program tests skills similar to what you and Terry are used to, so you shouldn't have too much of a problem." He pointed toward the equipment room. "I've got a spare training outfit in there if you need it. Terry does too; he once mentioned it was hard to wear clothes under that suit. But I'm the same age as you and closer to your height and build, so mine should fit you better."

"I'll be fine…Kai," Matt answered, trying to get used to the name. "I've got an extra layer of body armor underneath the suit to simulate Terry's build. I can wear that instead."

"All right then," Kai conceded, going for the weapons. Matt took the opportunity to remove the rest of the suit, taking care to keep the extra armor on. The suit and mask were form-fitting, which occasionally made it a little difficult to do this correctly, but he managed to get it off with little to no problem. Kai then handed him a belt with pouches filled with kunai and shuriken, and as he got it on, the program commenced. He barely had five seconds to move out of the way before a shuriken hit where his foot had just been.

"You have to be faster!" Kai informed. "Part of the test is your speed!"

He didn't need to be warned twice. He ducked a kunai and hurled one of his own toward the android's midsection. It missed, only nicking it, and in the process of attacking, Matt had left himself open. The android shot six shuriken after him, and Matt had only a split second to respond. Just as he had with the batarangs in his last training exercise with Terry, he threw kunai with both hands to deflect the oncoming weapons, but used four instead of two. Kai handled the other two shuriken and attacked the android from the other side.

"We'll need to get closer in to fight it," he warned

"Should we wait for it to run out of ammo or just look for an opening?" Matt asked.

"Looking for an opening would be better," Kai advised. "With all the weapons we're leaving around, there's no way any of us are going to run out."

"Good point."

"So how has your defense of Gotham been?"

Matt spared a confused glance Kai's way. "Why do you ask?"

"You seemed a bit shaken when you came here," he explained, "and then you went to your quarters and started reading your brother's file." He managed to sink a kunai in the android's breastplate, but the android pulled it out and threw it back, narrowly missing Kai's head. "I've been with the League most of my life and have gotten used to everyone's habits. I know when something's wrong, even when I don't know the person very well."

"So you had an ulterior motive in inviting me?" Matt guessed, sending a wildly spinning shuriken toward the android, taking advantage of the exposed wires and circuitry that were the result of Kai's attack. The android didn't manage to avoid it in time, and the shuriken managed to nick a wire.

"Good hit," Kai complimented. "I figured that you'd open up better if you had something physical to do. Merina calls it the 'universal male conversation.'" Matt shot him another confused look. "No matter where they're from, men speak better with actions than words. At least that's what she says."

Matt rolled his eyes. "Women." Kai laughed.

"That was Rex's reaction too."

Matt ran forward and kicked the android square in the chest. Even though he'd been careful to hit with the whole bottom of his foot, he had to bite back a shout when pain shot through his heel. He was _not _trying that one again.

"So what happened?" Kai asked as Matt tried to get some feeling other than pain back in his right foot.

Matt aimed another shuriken at the exposed machinery. "I screwed up on my patrol tonight. Wound up in the middle of a custody battle between a baby's birth mother and adoptive mother. Turned ugly too—they started fighting right there in the street."

"Was the baby all right?" Kai checked.

"Yeah, it was fine," he replied, "aside from being scared to death."

"Then how'd you screw up? As long as the baby was fine, I'd say you did a good job."

"Yeah, but I stood there doing nothing," Matt argued, throwing a kunai at the android's back. This one managed to get lodged in a place where the android couldn't reach it, giving Matt a chance to run forward and kick the kunai in while Kai kept it busy in the front. The android fell forward, its combat system frozen, terminating the program. He stood over it, waiting for the pain in his foot to lessen. "I had to wait for Commissioner Gordon to take it out of my hands."

"And you feel like you haven't lived up to your brother?" Kai realized.

"That's exactly it."

"You shouldn't try to measure yourself by those who came before you," Kai warned. "They fought in their own ways, and they followed their own paths. You have one that's completely your own."

"Even if I don't know what it is, I suppose," Matt sighed.

"Another round?" Kai offered.

"Yeah," Matt agreed. "There's still a lot I need to think through."

They fought through another three rounds total, Kai respecting Matt's privacy the whole time. Matt couldn't deny that Kai's words made sense, but what he thought and what he felt were two completely different things. For years, he'd seen Batman as a hero and Terry as his all-too-human big brother. Batman never made any mistakes, but Terry made them all the time. He'd always known they were the same person, but why didn't it seem like that? And why couldn't his flaws disappear as easily when _he_ put on the mask? The questions continued to plague him in the shower and afterward, as he continued reading through the files.

An alert sounded while he stared at _that message_ again. Leaving the computer on, he peered out the door, seeing Shinobi tesser right in front of him.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"The Iniquity Collective," Shinobi answered. "They've hit Metropolis. Superman sent me to get you so your team can head out." Then, giving him a suspicious look-over, he added, "Are you all right? I can take over if you need…"

"No. I'll take care of this." His voice had darkened considerably, and Shinobi definitely took notice. He blinked and stepped back as Matt walked past him. Matt knew exactly what he was going to do, so he made sure to run for the command center. Still, Shinobi got in front of him, blocking his way.

"Step aside," Matt ordered.

"I can't do that, Batman," Shinobi answered, an unusual stress on the name. Matt fixed a glare on him.

"Let me pass." He tried to force his way past, but Shinobi caught his shoulder and gave him the same glare. Though the halls were empty, they kept their voices low. It was a matter of trying to sound even more threatening than the other, and both of them were taking it seriously.

"What are you doing, McGinnis?" he whispered. "Your brother put that warning in there for a reason. Obviously, he didn't want to risk you losing your temper around Stalker."

"Terry's the one with the temper," Matt replied.

"Even so, it's dangerous to bring volatile emotions into a fight," Shinobi answered. His voice was still low, but now, there was an almost pleading quality in it: "Don't waste your life on revenge when you have a future ahead of you."

Matt pretended to consider this and answered calmly, "Terry and Bruce started out of vengeance, not me. In fact, I don't even like the idea of revenge." Shinobi didn't lower his guard; he wasn't buying it. Matt's respect for the ninja raised several notches.

"I'm not letting you past, McGinnis," he insisted. He glanced to the side and tessered, unintentionally showing Matt his weakness: In order to use a tesseract properly, he needed to be able to see his destination. Before Shinobi could go any further, Matt closed his eyes and threw a flash bomb in front of him, blinding the ninja. While Shinobi was prone, Matt came up from behind and knocked him unconscious before locking him in an empty room. Then he ran off to join the rest of his team.

He knew he wasn't going to have much time to fight. Sooner or later, Shinobi would wake and escape from his prison to warn Superman of the note he'd found in Matt's profile: _He was kidnapped by Stalker at the age of eight. Do not let him fight Stalker under any circumstances._ Perhaps someone else would find the note first. He also hadn't acted very wisely: first exposing his, Terry's, and Bruce's identities all in one shot, and then antagonizing a fellow League member. He was acting like a child, running off to get back on someone who'd caused him harm in the past.

But as the four man cell came face-to-face with the Iniquity Collective, Matt shoved all reservations aside. Vengeance wasn't really his style, but tonight, he would make an exception.

**First of all: I seriously did not mean to have Warhawk dominate that scene before. I needed his short backstory, but I didn't intend for it to be so long. And I'm not expanding on anything more since I want to keep this relatively canon and as of this chapter we don't yet know how John and Shayera eventually get back together and have him.**

**Shinobi is an original character, as there aren't enough members of the future Justice League Unlimited for me to work with. The word "shinobi" is another Japanese word for "ninja," and his character design is somewhat based on Uchiha Sasuke and Hatake Kakashi of _Naruto, _though his ability to tesseract was inspired by the Fourth Hokage in the _Kakashi Gaiden_ sidestory of the _Naruto_ manga. Feedback is appreciated, even if it's just to tell me to quit with all the ninja references.**


	4. Between the Present and the Past

Brick Ballads  
Chapter Three: "Between the Present and the Past"

Metropolis, Superman's home city, was no stranger to attacks. It was usually ground zero when it came to alien invasions and metahuman disasters. The citizens had long since learned when and to where to evacuate when trouble came, saving the Justice League the problem of crowd control. Right now, the business district was completely empty, save for the four villains and the heroes that had come to stop them.

"The Justice League," Inque commented. "Just the last people we wanted to see."

"Aquagirl, take Inque," Warhawk ordered. "Lantern, you take Shriek. And Batman…"

"I'll handle Stalker," Matt interrupted.

"All right," Warhawk answered. Matt had known that Warhawk wouldn't want to put him against Parasite, with too much danger of him getting killed without powers to absorb in place of life force. And Aquagirl and Green Lantern were perfect matches against their adversaries: Aquagirl's control over water would help her fight Inque better, and Lantern's ring could generate shields to protect him from Shriek's sonic blasts. That left Matt with Stalker. It was a perfect strategy to try and keep him alive, and no one could argue that he'd planned it that way for his own purposes.

The four League members went into action immediately. Aquagirl brought up water from the pipes beneath the street, using the stream as a shield while trying to shoot it at Inque, who was constantly dodging back and forth. Shriek had attacked Lantern with a sonic wave, but a green energy field had blocked most of the blast. Warhawk, meanwhile, was searching for an opening against Parasite, all the while trying to keep from being drained. Matt, in the meantime, ran toward Stalker, throwing batarangs. The hunter dodged them easily, and then blocked the punches and kicks Matt tried to land.

"Who are you?" Stalker demanded. "You're not the Bat."

"You're right," Matt grunted. "I'm not."

"Then I have no reason to fight you," he replied. "You are not my prey."

"I was once." Stalker's expression hardly changed, but Matt wasn't going to let that stop him. Fifteen years worth of anger was raging in him, and he wasn't going to hold it in any longer. "Fifteen years ago, you kidnapped an eight-year-old boy in order to lure Batman out into the open."

To his credit, Stalker didn't take long to connect the dots, but the realization hardly fazed him. "Ah, the younger one," he answered calmly. _Too_ calmly. Matt wanted to shove a fist in his face. He tried, but it missed, so he settled for kicking him in the side.

"I understand your desire for revenge," Stalker informed, "but you are foolish to fight me as you are now. You are still young and undisciplined."

"So was my brother."

"Which is why I stopped hunting him for several years. I wanted him to mature. I do not hunt cubs."

"You did that night!" Matt shouted, dropping and making a sweeping kick to knock Stalker's feet out from underneath him. But Stalker nimbly leapt in the air and flipped back onto his feet. "You used me as _bait_!"

"When a cub is in danger, others in the pride will come to its rescue," Stalker explained. "For a hunter, that is the most efficient trap. But of course, protective instincts make the prey even more dangerous, which only makes the hunt more satisfying."

"Sick bastard," Matt growled, throwing two electric batarangs. They missed horribly, so he kept throwing batarangs until he had nothing left. Each time, Stalker avoided them, watching almost in disappointment as Matt continued to attack.

Deciding that conversation was pointless by now, Matt put all of his energy into fighting. And he needed to too—punch after punch was blocked, and then he tried a roundhouse kick to Stalker's head, but his opponent ducked at the last second, throwing him off balance. He fell to the street, smashing his face against the pavement, but he wasn't going to let that stop him. Getting up, he tried a drop kick, which Stalker blocked. However, this time Matt was ready. He used the kick to mask the movement of his left hand firing an anchoring wire around Stalker's ankle. He then pulled it, knocking Stalker to the ground while simultaneously bringing his foot down on the hunter's shoulder. But before he could revel in his victory, someone came up from behind and grabbed him, holding tight. He could feel through the suit his strength fading. His head felt heavy, and he couldn't see straight…

He collapsed to the ground suddenly, the arms having let go. Shaking his head to rid it of the fog, he looked up and saw Stalker standing over him. He tried to lunge up to attack, but he was too weak. Behind him stood Parasite.

"Do not interfere in my hunt again," Stalker warned Parasite. "The Bat is my prey, and mine alone. I have promised him an honorable fight."

"Honorable?" Matt muttered, trying to clear his head. He felt awful: sick and exhausted at the same time. But he had a feeling that if he lost consciousness now, it would be a long time before he woke up. Not far away, Warhawk lay prone, alive but also drained. Aquagirl had managed to subdue Inque and was helping shield Green Lantern with her water while he fired beams at Shriek.

"Come!" Stalker called. "As I've said, this is not worth it." The diluted Inque oozed her way out of the battle zone while Shriek blasted Aquagirl and Lantern one last time for good measure, making them unable to take chase. Parasite joined them, but Stalker looked directly at Matt. "And as for you, cub, my warning also applies to you. I saved you because I find no honor or thrill in killing cubs. Do not interfere again." With that, he ran off.

Matt sat there in the street along with the other battered Leaguers. Warhawk was staring to stir, and Aquagirl and Green Lantern were slowly walking toward them. This was officially the worst night of his life. First the debacle in Gotham, then Shinobi, and now this? He honestly couldn't see how things could get any worse.

"_Metro Tower to field team, come in," _radioed Superman. Now it was worse.

"This is Aquagirl," she informed. "We read you."

"_Return to the Tower. There's something we need to discuss."_

"We have two down right now," Aquagirl warned. "We need to stop by med bay first."

"_All right," _Superman answered. "_But as soon as you can, I want to speak to you all, especially Batman."_

Aquagirl looked surprised but replied, "Roger."

"Why does he want to talk to you?" Green Lantern questioned, giving Matt a puzzled look.

He sighed. "Trust me, you'll know soon enough."

* * *

At med bay, Matt and Warhawk were hooked up to IVs filled with an electrolytic solution that helped replace the energy Parasite took from them. It took half an hour, but Matt finally started to feel strong enough to walk on his own and Warhawk regained full consciousness. Another ten minutes later, they walked to the conference room to find Superman, Green Lantern, Aquagirl, and Shinobi waiting for them.

_Damn,_ Matt thought, not wanting to say it out loud in front of someone with super hearing. He'd known he was in trouble the minute Superman had called them. Having Shinobi there made the problem even worse. The last thing he'd wanted was to bring another person into the Batman Beyond secret.

_Should have thought of that before I stormed out of my quarters,_ his critical side cursed.

"Matt, Rex, sit down," Superman ordered once the door closed. Warhawk looked a bit surprised at the use of their real names, but he complied. Matt just sat down gracelessly in a chair opposite Shinobi, who stared at him with carefully neutral eyes, making him feel like he was dealing with Bruce and Commissioner Gordon. This was not going to be good.

"I called you all here to discuss something important," Superman informed. "This is a highly classified matter, and what is said here is not to be repeated to anyone other than the other parties involved. Those include Bruce Wayne and Terry and Dana McGinnis." Nobody reacted; the rest of the four-man cell was already aware of this, and Shinobi had obviously just been briefed on Batman I and Batman II. "Because of the sensitive nature of this, we have to be on a first name basis with everyone here. Even if you already know who each other are, say your names. We have to be completely honest. It's a matter of trust."

Shinobi was first, slipping down his mask. "Akira Kimura."

"Rex Stewart."

"Merina."

"Kai-ro."

"Clark Kent—Earth name. Kal-el for my Kryptonian."

"Matt McGinnis," Matt answered, but he didn't remove his mask. He still felt a little sick, and he wasn't going to let Akira Kimura see how bad he looked. "Third Batman, though on a temporary basis. The first was my biological father, Bruce Wayne, and the second my brother Terry. The two of us are the result of a Cadmus project called Batman Beyond."

"Thank you, Matt," Kent replied. "I've already explained Batman Beyond to Akira, and as I said before, it's highly classified. Bruce only found out about it fifteen years ago, and Terry and Matt three months ago." Matt nodded. "Project: Batman Beyond happened without our knowledge, or else we would have prevented it. The second Justice League saw very similar projects: Galatea, Doomsday, and the Ultimen. Cadmus officially began as an offensive against the League after we revealed to the government what our counterparts in another universe, the Justice Lords, had done and what they were planning to do to our world. But even before that, Cadmus existed in the form of much smaller projects, some sanctioned by the government like the Royal Flush Gang, and others done privately. They started to unite after Darkseid brainwashed me in the late 1990s, concentrating on how to take me out if necessary. After the Justice Lords and the Thanagarian Invasion, they turned their attention to the entire League. We tried to build a case against them after the Flash defeated Luthor, but hardly any evidence could be linked to them, and the United States Government denied any knowledge of Cadmus. Still, the court ruled in favor of putting strict controls over Cadmus technology and research, and we were granted the right to see the research done on us—especially in the clonings. About ten years later, the governments of the world made all Cadmus technology illegal."

"It wasn't enough, though," Matt added. Everyone looked to him for an explanation. "It was around that same time that Amanda Waller started Batman Beyond. She must have known that they were going to outlaw her tech, so she made sure she had a loophole. Even if she applied it in the future, she used it before it was illegal. And who could prove that she did it anyway?"

"That's a big accusation," Kai noted.

"Are you sure you're not just jumping to conclusions?" Merina agreed.

"I talked to Terry and Bruce," Matt replied. "Both of them had that figured out within ten minutes of learning the whole story."

"Part of Batman Beyond was supposed to recreate Bruce Wayne's family life, right?" Akira questioned. Matt squashed his dislike for him and nodded. "He never had any siblings, and his parents died when he was very young. How do you fit into the equation, and why were your parents alive?"

"That's a good question," Kent admitted. "Terry didn't mention anything to me when he explained all this."

"Not to me either," Matt confessed. "He's probably holding back information, but I'm not sure. I don't know what my part in all of this is. Maybe I was meant as back-up if something happened to Terry? I don't know."

"I'm sorry for leading this off-topic," Akira apologized, catching Matt off-guard. Had he noticed that easily how uncomfortable he was with the subject? "Kal, continue."

"Thank you, Akira," Kent answered. "The reason I called you here wasn't to discuss anything more of Project: Batman Beyond, though all of it has to do with Matt. When Terry and Dana announced their wedding three months ago, we slowly got to work setting things up for him. At the time, we thought we had six months to do it, so we didn't worry about a timeframe. Unfortunately, they were forced to move up their wedding date after the press started to try and get their way into the service. We knew then that we had a problem: almost nothing was ready for Matt. Even though he was only supposed to be doing this for a couple of weeks, we all needed to make it look like he'd been here forever. We managed to set up his JLU account in secret, but we didn't have time to add many files."

Matt nodded. "Terry loaned me his account for anything else I needed to study. I've also been reading up on things in the Batcave."

"Terry was ready for all of this, apparently," Kent continued. "He typed up a bio on Matt made accessible to his account, Matt's, and mine. As leader of the Justice League, I was supposed to read through it and make sure that I understood aspects about Matt's life that would conflict with Justice League duties. To be completely honest, I made a huge mistake. I assumed that I would have the chance to get to know Matt the same way I got to know Terry and then judge for myself what restrictions if any I would put on him in addition to what Terry has. I also thought I had a good idea of what he was like from what Terry told me in passing." Now, he looked at Matt. "I knew that you'd lived a very normal life. You were raised by your mother, and you were a pretty good student and never got in trouble in school or with the law. But what I'd forgotten was that there are darker, more personal things that people don't like to share—something that Terry must have picked up from Bruce." Rex, Merina, and Kai leaned in slightly, very interested in what Kent had to say. Matt and Akira, on the other hand, maintained blank, neutral expressions. "It happened when Matt was eight—or, Matt, maybe you'd better tell it. It's your story."

"All right," he agreed. Everyone's attention shifted to him, so he took a breath to keep from breaking his detached façade. "When I was eight, Terry had just started being Batman. Stalker arrived in Gotham to hunt him. He somehow discovered Terry's identity and kidnapped me to lure him into a trap. We both got out okay, and I was still excited about the fight I'd seen, but I wound up with nightmares for months about that." He lowered his gaze to the table, and his voice lowered. "It got worse each time I saw Batman fight Stalker on the news, especially if Terry came home injured from one of those fights. I suddenly started worrying that something would go wrong and I wouldn't have my big brother anymore. I kept remembering that night, and each time, I couldn't help but think of what could have gone wrong. My mom knew what had happened and had me talk to the school psychologist for a while. Eventually, I got over it; but tonight, when I heard that Stalker was attacking, everything came back in a rush. I was too young to completely understand it then, but I do now, and I realize just how bad it could have been. I don't blame myself or anything—I was too young to have done anything to begin with—but I can't believe how stupid I was not to realize the danger. I was so caught up in the moment that I didn't think of what would happen if Terry died. When he fought, I only saw Batman, and I knew he never lost." There was silence for a minute before Rex spoke up:

"You're not the only one here that has to deal with ghosts of the past." Matt was suddenly reminded of Rex's problems with the Thanagarians and felt even stupider than before. "You should have just told us about it. Even if I couldn't help, Kai or Merina could."

"There was a warning in the middle of Matt's bio, and because I didn't read it carefully, I completely overlooked it," Kent added. "It said that I couldn't send Matt in a mission against Stalker. Akira found it on Matt's computer after he'd told him I wanted him to head out. By then, it was too late to stop him." Matt noticed this version of the tale neglected to mention that Akira had in fact tried to stop him and wound up locked in a spare room. He shot a glance toward Akira, who very slightly shrugged in response. Maybe he'd have to rethink his opinion of the ninja.

"Matt, if you knew, why didn't you tell us?" Kai asked. "We would have sent another team or we would have gone alone. The Iniquity Collective doesn't always face Batman, so it wouldn't have looked suspicious."

"I wanted revenge," he confessed. "I wanted the chance to finally confront him after all these years. I don't even believe in revenge, but I was willing to throw all of that aside."

"I'm sorry for letting this happen," Kent apologized. "If I'd read that bio, I would have sent another team to handle the problem. Matt, whatever injuries you sustained are my fault, and be sure Terry and Bruce know that."

"No use blaming yourself," he argued. "I knew I wasn't supposed to go, and I didn't say anything. I didn't think."

"In any case," Kent interrupted, "we'll deal with whatever happens when it does. Matt, go home. There's nothing else you need to do tonight. Get some sleep. If there's something that I think I need to consult you on, I'll let you know. The same goes for you, Rex."

With that, the meeting was over. Secret identities settled back into place as they walked out of the conference room. Matt shut everything down in his quarters before heading back to his apartment. His roommate, David, was asleep so he was careful to be quiet as he hid the suit before he headed for the shower. The mask stuck to his face with sweat, and when he finally pulled it off, there was a bleeding scrape on his cheek. He shouldn't have been so disturbed by it—it was probably just the result of hitting the pavement during his fight with Stalker. But still, he had to admit that he was feeling too comfortable wearing that mask. It was starting to become a second skin.

**Major, major thanks to Tatsu no Houou for his help in coordinating the Matt/Stalker fight scene. While the fighting techniques were my own, his suggestions contributed to the dialogue and the results of the fight. When it comes to fighting techniques, there are quite a few that are real, and those I usually ascribe some name to. They're usually white or yellow belt tae kwon do moves, which I know better than anything else. Most information on Project: Batman Beyond that wasn't explicitly revealed in "Epilogue" comes from interviews with Bruce Timm and Dwayne McDuffie on Toonzone. If there are issues with characterization, it's because it's been an extremely long time since I've seen these episodes. I have a pretty good memory, but I might have forgotten some things. My friend Digizane managed to get me the first season and I think my characterization of Stalker was pretty close, but if it wasn't, I apologize.**

**And because Tatsu wanted me to explain this a little further just in case: Why did the group in that last scene reveal their names? It is nearly impossible to be in on the Batman Beyond secret without knowing at least three people's identities: Bruce, Terry, and now Matt. They need to be able to trust everyone who has to know their secret, and the best way to show you can be trusted is to reveal your own identity—something that I'll admit was taken from _Justice League: Starcrossed._ And I apologize for the symbolism starting to appear—if it drives anyone nuts, just let me know.**


	5. Dark Nights

Brick Ballads  
Chapter Four: "Dark Nights"

It had been a lousy night. Matt barely slept, reliving the fight with Stalker over and over in his head each time he closed his eyes. He'd briefly considered calling Terry about it, but had rejected the idea. Who was he to interrupt his brother's honeymoon just because he'd done something stupid in battle? That was the excuse he gave himself, but underneath it lay a better reason: He wanted to prove that he didn't need his big brother to save him all the time.

The alarm finally went off in the middle of a nightmare he didn't particularly want to think about anymore. He went into the bathroom and took a long, hard look at himself in the mirror. His face was pale—a touch greenish even—and dark circles were under his bloodshot blue eyes from lack of sleep. Scabs had developed on the scrape on his cheek, so he grabbed a bandage out of the medicine cabinet, knowing just how sensitive it was going to be, especially after he shaved. Sure enough, that side of his face was stinging and he'd managed to knick himself. He was in the process of opening the bandage when David walked in, still half-asleep but alert enough to notice his roommate's injury.

"Don't tell me you got that shaving," he said in disbelief.

"Bad night last night," Matt answered. "Got in a fight."

David raised an eyebrow. "That's not like you."

Matt shrugged. "Like I said, it was a bad night."

David thankfully didn't pry anymore and got in the shower. Matt put the bandage on his cheek and went into his room to change. As he pulled a shirt over his head, he suddenly felt nauseous and had to sit down. It took him only a few seconds to realize that Parasite's attack on him must have weakened his immune system enough for him to come down with the bug he'd felt sick from the night before, and the thought made him want to kick himself. He should have watched his back; he shouldn't have left himself open to the point that _Stalker_ of all people had to save him.

He went out into the living room a few minutes later. David had just gotten out of the shower and was watching the news. One of the first reports was a recap of the battle the night before. It was another hard look in the mirror for Matt as he watched himself as Batman recklessly attacking Stalker. The other battles were equal: Inque attacked Aquagirl as many times as Aquagirl attacked Inque; Shriek attacked Lantern, who responded in kind; Parasite attacked Warhawk often enough, but Warhawk was able to throw him off and retaliate. Stalker, on the other hand, just dodged all of Batman's attacks, never once laying a hand on him. It easily could have gone differently if Stalker wasn't so fixated on hunting only Terry.

"Looks like you weren't the only one with a bad night," David commented.

"Yeah, guess so," Matt replied distractedly.

"The JLU looks awful," David continued, hardly noticing his roommate's preoccupation. "And Batman—wonder what could have happened to piss him off like that? Even Stalker doesn't seem to want to mess with him, and that guy's usually obsessed with fighting him. Anyway, you want breakfast?"

Matt shook his head. "Not feeling well."

"You don't _look _well," David agreed. "Maybe you should skip class."

"Probably. At least my morning ones. I'll sleep till the afternoon ones."

"Good idea. Anyway, I'll see you later. Going to get breakfast."

Matt nodded and went back to watching the footage. Finally, when he saw Parasite coming up from behind him and attacking, he turned it off. He didn't need to know how Stalker saved his life. He didn't want to think about this anymore.

He made the mistake of checking his e-mail before going back to bed. There was a message from an untraceable address—a sign that it was Justice League business. It was a short request from Superman for his help later that night, an investigation that specifically required Matt McGinnis—not Batman, not Terry's advice, _Matt_. He knew it wasn't going to be good, but what could he do about it? They needed him. And so he closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep as his stomach churned and his mind wandered back and forth between the events of the previous night and the questions of what was to come.

* * *

Matt wound up missing all of his classes that day. His nap that morning had only served to make him feel sicker rather than better. He was positive he had a fever, and he'd thrown up a couple of times already. But still, he wasn't going to let it stand in the way of his responsibility to the League, so he pulled on the suit and took the Batmobile over to the Metro Tower. At least the flight in that was smoother than if he'd used his jets and wings, so he avoided feeling too nauseous. 

He was the last one to enter the conference room. On one side of the table sat Aquagirl and Warhawk; Green Lantern and Shinobi were on the other. At the head of the table was Superman and… He stared in shock at the guest sitting near Superman: Amanda Waller.

"You!" he shouted as Warhawk held him down to keep him from doing anything rash.

"I thought you hadn't met her," Lantern commented. At a look from Superman, Warhawk let go.

"I haven't," Matt answered. "But I've read the files and seen the pictures. She hasn't changed enough where I can't recognize her."

"Matt, sit down," Superman ordered. They were back to using real names, and in front of a non-League member no less. Underneath his mask, Matt scowled as he sat next to Rex, using only the barest minimum of control to keep from acting any ruder.

"Hello, Matthew," Waller greeted. "It's nice to finally meet you, though I wish it was under better circumstances. I hope you're doing well." Matt kept silent, biting back a retort. He was not going to lose his temper again, not after last night's disaster.

"Mrs. Waller called for our help last night during the battle with the Iniquity Collective," Kent informed. "I didn't get the message until after the debriefing, when I'd already sent Matt and Rex home. Because of that delay, we lost some valuable time in catching the culprit. Mrs. Waller, could you explain the details for everyone?"

"Last night, someone broke into my house and killed three of my security team," she explained. "There are only two people who have ever managed to get past my security: Bruce Wayne and Terry McGinnis, and neither of them caused the kind of damage that this intruder did. Two guards were savagely ripped apart, and the third had his neck cleanly snapped while he sat at his post. All of the cameras were blacked out and destroyed and the data erased, so we have no way of knowing who did it. Worse, the intruder got hold of some very sensitive files pertaining to Cadmus research. I can only assume that they know of my connection to the project."

"What files were taken?" Merina asked.

"There were many related to our research against the Justice League, but there were some referring to Project: Batman Beyond," Waller answered. Matt felt his stomach drop.

"How much in reference?" he found himself asking.

"Enough, Matthew," she replied with a sigh. "Just enough information to reveal your identities and make Terry's family a target."

"It wasn't enough that you had to ruin our lives by creating us, but you had to hold onto that information too?" he questioned bitterly.

"Matt…" Kai warned.

"No, he's right," Waller replied. "I have made a mess of your lives, and it was foolish of me not to destroy that information, but I thought it might be some help if the Justice League ever came across a crisis where they'd benefit from the information Cadmus had gathered. I hope that you can forgive me, Matthew." He didn't answer. He knew what would come out if he opened his mouth, so he didn't even bother.

"What's the plan?" Rex asked.

"Right now, Mrs. Waller is in a safe house for her own protection," Kent informed. "Akira is supervising the security. If anything happens, he'll let us know." Akira nodded in reply.

"And for us?" Matt added.

"I want you to investigate the remaining Cadmus labs," he replied. Waller looked a bit surprised, which didn't escape Matt's notice. He narrowed his eyes slightly. What was she hiding? "Most of them were dismantled by the U.S. Government and destroyed after the Near Apocalypse. Matt, Bruce probably still has a record of the ones that still exist." Matt nodded, though reluctantly. He was starting to hate this assignment more and more as the briefing went on. "Are there any other questions?" No one spoke up, so he answered, "All right then. You're all dismissed. Matt, one moment please?"

Matt purposely waited for Waller to leave before he walked up to Kent. He managed to keep up an image of professionalism that he never could have managed the night before. He was determined to prove that he was mature enough to handle this. "Is there a problem?"

"There might be," he admitted. "I know I'm asking a lot of you to do this, and I hate having to put you through all of this when you're just trying to forget about it, but you're the only one who can do this."

"Since Terry's on his honeymoon and Bruce retired decades ago," Matt finished. He wasn't trying to sound rude; his tone was as objective as he could possibly make it.

"I know you have good detective skills, and that's what I'm counting on," Kent continued. "If there was anyone else I could trust with this…"

Matt cut him off, "I know. I don't like it, but I'll do it." There was a look of relief on Kent's face.

"I'm glad to hear that. For what it's worth, I'm not sure Terry would have done the same." This came as a surprise to Matt, but he took pride in it as Kent briefly put a hand on his shoulder before walking out the door. Matt let a smile slowly grow on his face. Once again, he'd done something his brother wouldn't have. For the very first time, he felt like he'd stepped out of Terry's shadow.

* * *

He'd asked Bruce to look up the information for him, since he wasn't sure exactly where it was in the huge computer archives in the Batcave, much less how to download the information into his suit's computer. Bruce had agreed to this momentary break from his retirement, giving Matt the chance to look around the cave. He'd seen everything before, of course, but there were still some things that he wanted to know the history behind. The biggest example he could think of was the suits. From left to right, there was Terry's old suit, the Robin suit, the Batgirl suit, the Nightwing suit, and then the empty case. It was that first case that confused him. Bruce's old suit should have been in there, not Terry's original one, the one that this current suit was based off. He knew that Bruce had worn it for some time too, but it still broke the pattern. Why? 

Before he had the chance to ask, Bruce handed him the suit and said, "The information's in there, and it'll appear as a readout on your visor. Blink a couple of times to get used to it."

"Okay," he agreed, pulling it on over his extra armor.

"Matt," Bruce interrupted, "be careful." Matt knew the warning wasn't just because Bruce could tell he was sick. Both of them knew that this was not going to be an easy night. There were a lot of hard emotions that Matt was going to have to come face-to-face with. Even though they weren't close, Bruce still wanted to be sure his younger son would be all right. And it wasn't something he'd normally do.

"Thanks," Matt replied. "I will."

There were five labs that had been shut down but not destroyed. The first was the closest, in the outskirts of Gotham, so the four-man team headed there first. They stood outside, inspecting every inch of the grounds before even setting foot on the property. Even though Cadmus had long since been shut down, there was no clear evidence one way or the other that their memory wasn't still dangerous. The League wasn't going to take any chances. Lantern scanned the area with his ring, and signaled them when it was safe to move in.

It was a dark night outside with a new moon and few stars, but it was even darker inside the compound. It wasn't the lack of light that made it so dark but the atmosphere of the place. The air was thick with dust and shadows, and the green light cast by Lantern's ring looked eerie against the walls and consoles. It brought to mind radiation and Kryptonite, but there wasn't anything around that could threaten them—nothing physical, at any rate. Everyone else was also silent, as if they too felt the uneasiness of the place. But the other three were more experienced than Matt, so that didn't make sense to him. They should have been far more immune to it than he was. Still, the first to speak up was Lantern, as he looked over at a wall and informed, "There's a passageway behind that wall. Warhawk, can you get it?"

The half-Thanagarian ploughed into the wall, releasing more dust into the air as it fell to pieces. He coughed and shot them an almost apologetic look, but nobody held the dust storm and destruction against him. Never had Matt been so glad to see something demolished like that. In that one act, Warhawk had released the tension the whole team felt. As if he'd read his mind, Lantern gave him a small, relieved grin.

The passageway was short, as if it was part of the building that had been sealed off. Suddenly, all the tension returned. If it had been sealed off, there was obviously a good reason to do so. Matt's already bad feeling about this case started to worsen as they approached a pair of steel doors that Lantern forced open. Behind them was a lab that rivaled those in old monster movies, something that he expected a modern Dr. Frankenstein to experiment in. There was strange equipment everywhere and three suspension cases on their right side. Aquagirl walked directly to them and wiped away the dust.

"There's a body in here!" she declared. "Lantern, shine your ring this way! Maybe he's still alive."

Lantern did as she ordered, but let the beam drop as soon as they'd gotten a good look at the face. Lying inside the suspension case, as if asleep, was a sixteen-year-old replica of Terry.

That was it. Matt's nausea returned in full force at the sight of his brother's clone, and his legs turned to water. Aquagirl was standing right next to him and grabbed him as he started throwing up all over the floor. He could hear Warhawk checking the rest of the cases and then smashing a console in disgust.

"They're all the same," he muttered. "One in each of them."

"There aren't any others, are there?" Aquagirl asked, kneeling beside Matt as he dry-heaved.

Green Lantern made a quick scan with his ring. "No. But why only Terry? Why not the rest of us?"

"Batman Beyond," Warhawk answered. "Whatever this is, it has everything to do with it." He punched the console again.

"You two radio for help," Aquagirl instructed. "I'll take Batman out of here." Matt suddenly couldn't stand hearing that name. He didn't say as much to Aquagirl, mainly because he was afraid that if he opened his mouth he'd be sick again.

She supported him all the way out of building and helped him sit against the wall. He felt like a child as he sat there, resisting the urge to put his head between his knees, the rest of the League standing nearby. But then, he supposed it was some comfort. They too were shaken by what they'd seen, although not quite as badly. Aquagirl looked horrified and stood right next to him, Lantern had an incredibly disturbed look on his face as he folded his hands and tried to meditate, and Warhawk was barely holding back his anger as he radioed Superman. The reactions of the seasoned Leaguers were understandable. Terry was their teammate and friend. This was a betrayal to them too.

"…Yeah, have Shinobi bring Waller too," Warhawk requested. Matt had pulled his mask off in order to breathe easier, so he couldn't hear Superman's responses. "No one else. No, use the Javelin. It'll give us some time to get over the shock. No, he's not taking it that well, but then, neither are the rest of us. Yeah, he took off his mask. Don't blame him."

Matt closed his eyes and tried to erase the images he'd just seen from his memory, but they were burned too deeply in his mind. Now, he knew what Terry must have felt when he found out about Bruce being their father. It was more than just betrayal; it was the shattering of his world, and there was no way for him to pick up the pieces.

**Details of the Batcave and the Cadmus lab taken directly from "Epilogue."**


	6. Destiny

Brick Ballads  
Chapter Five: "Destiny"

Matt had given up trying not to look any younger than he felt and had finally settled on drawing his knees up, folding his arms on top of them, and then resting his head on his arms. His stomach had settled somewhat, but that didn't stop him from feeling sick. He felt sick inside too. He didn't look up at the telltale sound of a short-range Javelin VIII, preferring to let the others deal with Superman, Waller, and Shinobi. He blocked out their voices as they explained the situation and tried his hardest not to _feel_ the looks the three newcomers were giving him. But he still could. There was sympathy from Superman and Shinobi, and… He looked up at Waller. Yes, that was definitely regret on her face. A couple of hours ago, he would have been glad to see it, but now… Now, it just didn't matter anymore.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Matthew," she apologized, handing him a thermos. "Here. It's green tea. I made it, knowing what you were going to find."

He couldn't manage the amount of emotion necessary to be rude, so he accepted the thermos and took a sip. It was bitter stuff, but it at least cleaned the taste of vomit from his mouth.

"Please tell me that the man I've been calling my brother all these years isn't a clone," he begged, his voice hoarse with the trauma.

"No," she answered. "The clones were never activated. I tried once—when Shriek was holding Gotham ransom in exchange for Terry's life. I was about to warn Bruce that I had them and I could send one in Terry's place and no one would be the wiser. But in the end, Terry outthought the both of us and went to stop Shriek—not to sacrifice himself. He knew that it would have been pointless anyway and someone would still threaten the city if he died. I realized then that no matter what I did, I would never be able to recreate his soul. I could always implant memories into a clone, but I'd never be able to implant his heart." Matt felt a sudden hole in his own heart, but he ignored the feeling for the moment.

"You're so formal with me, but not with Terry," he noticed, talking to distract himself. "You always use my full first name when you speak to me, but you don't use his."

"That's because I never studied you the way I did him," she explained. "I watched him grow up, and I interfered where I thought it was necessary, but I left you to grow up on your own. I'd never planned for you. I suppose Terry probably gave you an edited version of the story I told him. What he probably didn't tell you is that he was supposed to grow up alone, in an environment mimicking Bruce's childhood. He was only eight when it happened, but I hired a woman named Andrea Beaumont to kill his parents as they walked to their car from the movie theater. She was a skilled assassin and knew Bruce's past enough so that she knew what it was I wanted her to create. She couldn't bear to do it, though, and persuaded me to let Terry find his own destiny rather than copy Bruce's." Matt just stared. If Terry had been eight, then that meant… Waller noticed his sudden look of comprehension and nodded. "It turns out that your mother became pregnant with you two months later. You were never supposed to exist. Even if you had been born beforehand, I would have slated you to be killed, since Terry was supposed to grow up as an orphaned only child. One way or another, you wouldn't have been born—if all went according to plan or if the League found out about Batman Beyond before I initiated it. It's only because of Beaumont that you're alive." Matt just stared at the ground. This was the second time that particular irony had come up: Someone who intended to put his life in danger inevitably wound up saving him. He was getting tired of it.

"What should we do now?" Shinobi questioned as Matt pulled himself to his feet.

"Matt, it's your decision," Superman informed. "This is your family that's involved, so we can't intrude on your right to protect them."

_To protect them,_ he mentally repeated. How odd it sounded. Terry had been protecting him all of his life, had been protecting Gotham for half of his own life. Now it was his turn to protect Terry. But it wasn't from criminals. It was from the shattering of his world once again.

"Destroy it," he said, feeling the heaviness in his heart and hearing it in his words. "Burn the whole compound to the ground." Then, more softly, he added, "Bury the past." He knew they all heard it and understood. For far too long had this part of the Justice League's past been a painful memory. Now, it was time to cauterize the wound by burning away the pain, to leave nothing but ashes of memory.

He forced himself to watch as it happened, at the bright glow amidst the dark sky. He felt the heat of the flames against his face and forced himself not to throw up at the smell of the chemicals, equipment, and nonliving bodies inside. The rest of the League was the same, looking solemn as the laboratory burned. Lantern murmured some kind of Buddhist prayer, Shinobi joining him. Both Warhawk and Aquagirl also looked like they were praying. Superman crossed himself and Waller still had her hands clasped together. But Matt couldn't pray—it wasn't that he didn't believe in any god, but he didn't feel like prayer would ease his mind the way it had for his four teammates.

Finally, when all that was left were just ashes and memories and the prayers hanging in the silence of the night, he turned and left.

* * *

A light was on in Commissioner Gordon's office, so he took it as a sign that it was all right to come in. She watched him carefully as he climbed in the bay window and motioned for him to sit in the chair across from her desk. He barely managed it and had to vomit in her garbage can seconds after sitting down. 

"Sorry," he apologized once he could speak.

"It's all right, kid. Want me to make you some tea?"

He smiled humorlessly. "Is that some kind of tradition? You see something bad and someone gives you tea?"

"It was for us, kid," the Commissioner answered. "Alfred, Bruce's butler years and years ago, always gave it to us after particularly hard missions. And when we wanted to talk about what happened, he'd listen, even if couldn't say anything that might help. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't, but it was always comforting to know that he was there to try and help us cope with the pain." A few minutes later, she handed him a mug. He sipped it and tasted lemon, milk, and honey. It tasted a lot better than what Waller had given him, and it helped put him at ease. He guessed she'd learned exactly what to make from Alfred. She'd probably had enough experience with it from her days as Batgirl. As sobering a thought it was to consider that the old woman had gone through much the same things as he just had, it offered him peace of mind. She would understand.

"I take it you saw something pretty bad," she commented. He nodded, still drinking his tea. "I'll listen if you want. I figure that's what you came here for—after all, I did offer my help in any way."

Setting the now empty cup down on her desk, Matt detailed the entire night, from the case they'd been given to the clones they'd found in the lab. Commissioner Gordon listened patiently, never answering, but nodding to let him know to continue. It hurt to relive it all over again, but he surprised himself with his level of control over his emotions. He'd been sure he would start crying or shouting or even start throwing up again. But he didn't. His words helped release his feelings so much more powerfully. When he was done, he felt a strange emptiness inside him. It had been there before, when he'd learned what the clones were meant for, but now that all the words and all of his emotions were out, he could feel that hollowness even more clearly.

"I never had a purpose," he realized. "I wasn't supposed to be a replacement for Terry—there were plenty made already."

"Then maybe you should stop trying to be someone else and start being you," she advised. "You need to find your own fate. Saving the world isn't easy, kid; sometimes you need to stop and save yourself."

"I'm twenty-three. I think I hardly qualify as a kid."

"Terry was 'kid' before you, and he was twenty-five before I stopped calling him that. You've still got a while to go." He smiled at that thought, and she smiled back.

"I'm just not sure I can do this anymore," he confessed. "I know I said I could take over as Batman if anything happened to Terry, but after tonight… This is the kind of thing he deals with all the time?" She nodded. "How does he do it?"

"It's tough, but he's stubborn—sometimes even more so than Bruce. He has a lot he wants to protect, and he's seen what happens when people fail to protect their loved ones. He can't bear to let that happen."

"How does he know where Batman ends and Terry begins?"

She smiled slightly. "That's a good question. I can't explain it completely, but I can give you enough of a picture as to why he doesn't get lost under the mask. Bruce is all shadows—I think that's pretty obvious to anyone who knows him. It's in his personality. He's lived in the darkness so long that it's become a part of him. You are all light; you can strive to protect the people you love, but you have a hard time coping with the dark side of humanity. Terry, however, is in the middle. He's seen both darkness and light and can handle them easily. You've probably noticed how he isn't quick to blame people and can forgive them easily. He can also hold grudges if he can't find anything worth forgiveness in a person. Most importantly, he's learned his self-worth and that it isn't just what Batman can do to save others, but what Terry can do to love them. If that makes any sense."

"I think so," he replied. "You're saying that they complement each other?"

"Pretty much. One would still be complete without the other, but they're best as two parts of the same person."

"I'm going to go," he decided. "I've got a lot I need to think about."

"Take all the time you need," she answered. "No one will hold it against you. I'll let the others know what happened."

"Don't tell Terry, though," he warned, and she stared at him in surprise. "He had to put up with it for months and he's only just accepted things. I don't want him to feel any worse than I do."

"All right, then," she promised. "Watch out for yourself, kid. You don't have to fall into darkness." He nodded in understanding and flew out the window.

When he got home, he showered, took stomach medicine, and pulled on a pair of gray sweats before falling asleep. His dreams were colored in red and black, with images of clones and fire. He kept hearing Waller's comments about how he wasn't supposed to be born and Superman's remark that the Justice League would never have let Project: Batman Beyond come into existence. He heard the others' prayers and his own silence. He heard heartbeats that stopped, and another that started after the other ones were gone. But throughout the nightmares, one thing stayed with him: the knowledge of who he was despite everything. Matt McGinnis wasn't supposed to exist, but he did, and he was going to take advantage of it.

* * *

He slept until ten in the morning, throwing up occasionally throughout the night. He'd only woken up to vomit again, and David had talked him into visiting the doctor. It was just a case of stomach flu—nothing to worry about as long as he took it easy and drank plenty of fluids. He didn't plan on going to class that day, and he was thankful that it was Friday, giving him the weekend to get over it. 

It was a little past one when Kai and Akira knocked on the door. He stared at them in total surprise before finally asking, "What are you doing here?"

"We wanted to make sure you'd be okay," Kai answered. "Akira was concerned too, so I asked him to come along."

Matt looked at Akira in surprise, but he replied, "I wasn't sure of your emotional state last night. You were so traumatized that I wanted to be sure you didn't do anything rash." Matt realized this was the closest admission to "I was worried about you" that he was ever going to get from him, so he thanked him.

"So how are you?" Kai checked, sitting on the couch. Akira stood nearby, leaning against the wall.

"Could be better, could be worse," Matt answered, pulling up a chair. "Not going to be reporting in for a few days."

"And psychologically?" Akira added.

"I'm not completely sure," he admitted. "Right now, I'm not so good, but I think I can accept it eventually. I just need some time."

"Maybe your sick leave will give you that time," Kai suggested.

"At least I've got some comfort knowing that Terry isn't a clone," Matt commented. "I don't know how I would have been able to handle it if that was the case. Hell, how would everyone else handle it? Or even him? It'd have killed him." They nodded in understanding. While the possibility hadn't been quite as disturbing for them, it still crossed the line. For Terry, it _would_ have killed him.

"Something's been bothering me," Kai confessed. The other men looked at him with concerned expressions. Kai was the voice of reason among his squad, and he almost always had an answer of some kind to everything. For something to be bothering him, it would have to be a big matter. "If this is what happened in a comparatively benevolent experiment, what exactly did Cadmus do when they and the League were enemies? We know about the Ultimen, Doomsday, and Galatea, but we weren't there like Kal and Bruce were. I can barely imagine how it must have been for them to have lived through it, much less if it was better or worse than what we just went through."

"You've been in the League longer than both of us," Akira pointed out. "Did Superman ever mention the details?"

"I was eight when I joined, fresh out of training with the Green Lantern Corps," Kai reminded him. "No matter how mature I was, no one wanted to completely destroy my innocence at that age. I got the most basic summaries needed in order for me to complete the mission. I've only started getting the harsher information in the past six years."

"I've read the files in the Batcave," Matt added, "There's a lot more information in there because of Bruce wanting to be sure everything was complete, but reading the description still doesn't give the whole story. Like you said, we didn't live through it."

"I agree," Akira decided. "I think what we did last night was for the best. And you probably put it best, Matt, when you said we were burying the past."

"Because now we have a future of our own to care for," Matt realized. "We can't be responsible for the past."

"But we are," Kai reminded them. "The past helps mold the future, so in order to preserve our future, we need to come to terms with the past. Those before us haven't always done so, so it's up to us to set things right for our future."

"We should probably go," Akira interrupted. To Matt, he explained, "Rex, Merina, Kai, and I are going to the other Cadmus facilities, putting them out of commission and saving whatever might help in our investigation. Afterwards, we're also taking some time off."

"Soul-searching?" Matt guessed.

"Somewhat," Akira admitted. "We need to put the past to rest too."

They'd just about walked out the door when Matt called, "Kai!" He turned. "Tell Merina she can drop her theory of the universal male conversation."

Kai laughed as Akira shot them a perplexed look. "I will. I'll also let her know that you and Akira had a civil conversation." Matt laughed back at this, and Akira raised an eyebrow in confusion. Even though he didn't know what they were talking about, it looked like he was going to wait until later to ask.

And once they were gone, Matt got back into bed, feeling a lot better than he had in a while.

**The Javelin VIII is my own, designed to be a short-range upgrade to the long-range Javelin VII. Matt's comment about tea refers to "Tea for Two" and "Epilogue" to a lesser extent.**


	7. Lost Words

Brick Ballads  
Chapter Six: "Lost Words"

Matt held the phone nervously for several minutes. He'd just recovered from his flu after three days and had come to a decision about himself. He was not Batman. He couldn't be. As much as he loved the detective work and the sense that he was doing something important, he knew he didn't have the heart to cope with the kinds of things Terry saw on a nightly basis. He'd never be able to make the kinds of decisions his predecessors had. If he tried, he had a feeling it would eventually kill him inside. He'd managed to tell Bruce and then the rest of the League who knew his identity, but now came the hard part: telling Terry.

Finally deciding that he'd accomplish nothing if he didn't try, he dialed Terry's number. In reality, it didn't take long for his brother to answer, but anxiety had a funny way of making a couple of seconds feel like a couple of years.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Terry. It's Matt."

"How are you doing?"

"Pretty good. Just needed to tell you something."

"What?"

He took a breath. "I don't think I'll be able to do this anymore—being Batman. I'll finish up this assignment, and I can do it on a temporary basis, if you're sick and need someone to fill in, but I can't do what I originally agreed. I can't handle it."

Terry's voice was reassuring as he answered, "That's all right."

This was a surprise. He'd expected something completely different. "You're not mad? Or disappointed?"

"Why should I be? You have the right to choose your own path. I'd be more disappointed if you did this when you didn't want to."

Relief swamped Matt. "Thanks."

"No problem. Is that all you needed to say?"

"Yeah. I'll leave you and the wife to the rest of your honeymoon." Terry laughed.

"All right. See you soon."

"Bye."

Matt hung up the phone and leaned back in the chair. It was done. He'd taken the first step on his path. He wasn't going to have to try and put his heart into this when he couldn't handle seeing the horrible things and making the important decisions that Batman had to. He was free to make his own destiny, just as he always had been. But this time, he wasn't tied down by a promise.

He opened his bedroom door and walked toward the living room, hearing Merina humming in the bathroom. The four man team was meeting in his apartment today to discuss the case, and Merina had arrived earlier than the others. She was currently in the bath to avoid dehydration. David, luckily, had class all day, so there were no awkward questions about why there was an unfamiliar blonde woman in their bathtub.

There was a knock on the door, and Merina quickly went silent. Matt checked to be sure it wasn't David before letting in Rex and Kai. It took him a minute to get used to Rex in civilian clothes—he'd never seen him without the Nth metal wing harness. But he finally closed the door and announced to Merina, "It's all right! It's just Rex and Kai!"

"I'll be out in a minute!" she answered.

Kai blinked and Rex looked nonplussed for a second before asking, "Is she in the bath?"

"She showed up early, and we were waiting for you guys, and she got worried about being dehydrated," Matt replied somewhat defensively. "I told her she could take a bath if she needed."

"It's all right," Rex assured, obviously noticing Matt's half-panicked tone. "We were just asking."

"Your roommate didn't ask?" Kai checked.

"He's got class still," Matt explained. "Plus, when it comes to women in the house, we have a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy. As long as we don't see or hear what the other's doing, we're happy."

"Well, I hope you won't need that policy," Merina commented, walking out of the bathroom. She'd changed into a sweater and jeans and was pulling her wet hair up in a bun. "I made sure to clean up after myself. Thanks for letting me use your bath."

"No problem," he answered.

"Sorry we're late," Kai apologized. "I had to help Rex find the apartment."

Matt stared at Rex in surprise. That wasn't something he expected from a senior Justice Leaguer. "You got lost?"

"Kai gave me the directions," Rex argued. "If it's anyone's fault, it's his."

"I don't know," Merina replied with a smirk. "I understood his directions easily."

Kai took one look at the slightly confused expression on Matt's face and questioned, "What? Not used to seeing us act like ordinary people?"

"Definitely not," Matt admitted.

"We do these things from time to time," Rex explained. "We're like family so much that we can't help it sometimes."

"But then, you only saw our human sides that one night," Merina remembered. "It was a moment of weakness."

"Guess it's a good thing to know that I'm not the only one with those kinds of things," Matt commented.

"It's not a weakness," Kai warned him. "It's our greatest strength."

"Yeah, I've been learning that a lot lately," he replied. "So, should we get started?"

They set out their compiled research on the coffee table and gathered around it—Kai and Merina on the couch and Rex and Matt in chairs they'd taken from the kitchen. Most of their information was declassified Cadmus files sent to the Justice League after their battle against Lex Luthor and Brainiac: notes on the Ultimen, Doomsday, Galatea, and the Royal Flush Gang, among others. The information salvaged from the destroyed Cadmus facilities themselves didn't amount to much, just records of aborted projects. The critical stuff had been at Waller's.

"Here's something," Kai noticed, picking up one of the Galatea reports. "It's a record on Supergirl."

"Makes sense," Matt agreed. "After all, they were cloning her, so they'd want to keep notes on her strengths and weaknesses." He was silent for a second, letting his own words sink in. "Well, we can assume that's with the Batman Beyond records."

"There's probably a lot more where that came from," Rex added solemnly. "After the Invasion, Cadmus probably kept extensive notes on my mother—same kind of thing: strengths, weaknesses. Since we didn't find them, I'd bet anything they're in the stolen records."

"It's a start," Merina pointed out. "We can at least assume that what our enemy is looking for is somehow related to bringing down the Justice League."

"Don't forget that there were also things from Waller's days as a liaison," Kai reminded her. "That could add more to the theory. What could help more than information from a government official working closely with them?"

"Good point—wait," Matt suddenly declared. Frowning, he searched through the various printouts.

"What is it?" Rex questioned.

"You went and picked up these things from Bruce and the Commissioner, right?" he checked.

"Yeah," Rex answered.

"Was there anyone else who added any?" he asked, examining another paper.

"A man named Drake," Rex explained. "He used to be Robin. Said he was glad to help in any way he could."

"No one named Grayson?" Matt pressed.

"No. Why?"

Matt sighed. "I knew it."

"What did you know?" Kai asked.

"All right, you know that Tim Drake was Robin and Commissioner Gordon was Batgirl?" At the nods, he continued, "Dick Grayson was Nightwing. Terry and I don't know all the details, but he and Bruce had a falling out years ago, and they haven't spoken since. Probably the last time they saw each other was when Dick gave him the suit back. I wouldn't have thought much of it, but I remembered at the wedding, the Commissioner and Bruce were talking about it. Grayson doesn't want anything to do with Terry either, just because he's Batman. He's got that much of a grudge."

"You don't think he could be behind this?" Merina questioned.

"I don't know," Matt confessed. "I don't think so, but I don't know. Still, I'd feel better if we had some kind of response from him, some way of knowing whether or not he knows anything."

"Nightwing fought in Blüdhaven, right?" Rex asked. Matt nodded. "I can go over there and talk to him."

"No, it probably should be me," Matt decided. At the looks everyone shot him, he added, "Family stuff, remember? The worst he could do is throw me out of the house without telling me anything, and we'd just be back to this."

"All right," Rex agreed. "Just let us know what you find out."

* * *

All in all, it was a frustrating job trying to track down Dick Grayson. Everything Matt looked up led to a dead end. There were no current phone numbers, home addresses, or e-mail addresses listed, although everything pointed to Grayson still being alive. The man simply did not want to be found. How Terry and Dana managed to even send him an invitation, Matt would never know. The only promising lead he had left was Dick's grandson, a Carter Grayson, twenty-six years old and currently working as a firefighter in New York City after two years spent in the military. Again, there was no address listed, but it did have the address of his firehouse. 

"It's something," he muttered, driving the Batmobile away from Blüdhaven and heading for New York. It took a couple of hours to get there, but he was not going to let that deter him. He needed answers.

Somewhere over Manhattan, Matt figured out how to access the city's security cameras through the Batmobile's computers. This made his job so much easier; he didn't know the layout of New York the way he knew Gotham, so he could use this feature to find the firehouse. A couple of searches later, he found it, but a fire engine was zooming out of the garage. He frowned. There was a possibility that Carter Grayson had stayed behind—unless it was a massive emergency, the fire department wouldn't send out everyone. But he had a responsibility to help people in danger, even if this wasn't his city. He'd just have to hope that Grayson was in that engine.

Matt drove in the direction of the firehouse and then followed the path he'd seen the engine take. From there, it was a simple matter of following the stalled traffic—the worst congestion was in the lanes where cars had to pull over to let the engine through. He'd never been so glad that the Batmobile could fly higher and faster than standard cars; otherwise, he might not be able to catch up.

He parked the car when he found the flashing lights of the engine in front of a burning house. Like most built in the past ten or so years, the exterior and the structure were fireproof, ingeniously designed so that after a fire, the family could move back in a lot faster, after the interior was refurbished. But even though the houses were fire-resistant, things inside it definitely weren't. Carpets still burned, as did furniture and appliances, and people. Houses were fireproof, but people weren't.

Matt flew down to the scene, startling the firefighters who were hosing down the house with flame-retardant foam. Most of the family was staggering away from the fire and toward the medics. One firefighter was trying to carry two kids out of the way.

"Batman?" he asked in surprise.

"I was in the area investigating a case," Matt answered, helping him with the children. "I noticed the fire and couldn't turn away."

"Thanks," the firefighter replied once they got the kids to a couple of paramedics. "We could probably use the help." Turning around, he noticed another firefighter strapping a tank on his back. "Damn it, Grayson, what are you doing?" Hearing this, Matt quickly focused in on the other firefighter, a young man with black hair and bright green eyes who bore a passing resemblance to the old pictures of Dick he'd managed to find in the files on Nightwing. Apparently, he'd inherited his grandfather's heroic side.

"There are people still inside who were asleep when the fire started," Grayson replied. "I'm going in to get them."

"Grayson, quit playing hero!" the first firefighter argued. "You're not helping anyone if you get yourself killed!"

"I'll go with him," Matt volunteered. Both men looked absolutely shocked. "You've gotten this mostly under control, so we can go in and get those people out."

"All right," agreed the firefighter, whom Matt suspected by now was the captain, "Grayson, go on. But don't do anything stupid!"

Matt reached into his belt and pulled out an oxygen mask. As he put it on, he hurried over to the engine and strapped on one of the extinguisher tanks. Grayson had traded in his regular helmet for one with a contained air supply and was holding onto a shoulder pack. He looked at Matt with a combination of gratitude and awe.

"Thanks," he finally managed to say.

"No problem," Matt replied.

They sprayed foam through the front door, taming the fire enough so that they could enter unharmed. In the living room, the couch was still ablaze. Matt quickly hosed it down, asking Grayson, "Which way?"

"Upstairs," he answered.

"I'll go first," Matt volunteered. "I've got enough filters in my mask that I can see better than you in this smoke."

"Good plan," Grayson agreed.

Matt started climbing, scanning through the smoke all around him to find any survivors. Infrared was useless, but most of the other filters in the mask still worked.

"So, you're not the original Batman, right?" Grayson questioned rather awkwardly. Matt stopped to hose down their path. "I mean, you weren't around during the Near Apocalypse or anything. My grandfather grew up in Gotham, and he always said that Batman was just as human as anyone else."

"Yeah," he replied. "The original was my father."

If Grayson's question had been awkward, his sudden silence at the answer was worse. Matt suppressed the urge to crack a grin; apparently, Dick Grayson hadn't predicted that Bruce would have kids.

"Okay," Grayson answered, finally accepting this. "Then who was your mother? Catwoman? Batgirl?"

"A civilian," Matt replied, again trying to hide his amusement at Grayson's surprise. Now he really wished he'd managed to find Dick, if his grandson was having such a hard time with this. It would be especially more fun, considering that Bruce's biological sons were so much more well-adjusted compared to his adoptive ones.

As they reached the top of the stairs, the smoke became thicker. To their left was a burned woman lying half-naked on the floor, the remains of most of her clothes discarded a few feet away and still smoldering. Matt and Grayson ran over and carefully turned her over.

"She's not breathing great," Matt warned. Grayson reached into his shoulder pack and pulled out an air mask.

"Put this on her," he instructed. "I'll check the other rooms to be sure no one else is in there."

Matt gently placed the mask over the woman's mouth, softly saying, "Breathe gently. That's it." She coughed a few times, trying to rid her lungs of the smoke she'd already inhaled, but it calmed down after a few minutes. Grayson still hadn't returned from the bedroom.

"_Niños,"_ the woman suddenly croaked.

"What?" Matt asked, translating the word from Spanish. It meant "kids." "There are kids—_niños_—in that room?" He pointed to where Grayson had gone.

"_Sí_," the woman whispered. She said a word that he couldn't understand, but it didn't matter. He knew enough.

"I'll get the kids," he assured her. "I'll be back." He wasn't sure if she understood his words, but his meaning came through clearly. She made a very slight nod and gave him a grateful look.

He ran into the bedroom, shouting, "Grayson, there are kids here!"

"I know!" Grayson yelled back, trying to open the closet. "They hid in here!"

Matt joined Grayson and took hold of the closet door. Between the two of them, they managed to break it off enough for two little boys to escape, desperately grabbing onto their rescuers and crying frantically in Spanish. Grayson managed to get air masks on them and carried them out while Matt took the injured woman. Once they got outside, paramedics took over immediately, getting the woman in an ambulance and rushing the kids over to the rest of their family.

"That woman was their aunt," Grayson murmured. Matt looked to him for an explanation. "I managed to catch a little of what they were saying. One word they kept repeating: _Tía, tía_—aunt."

"She must have come to live with them," Matt realized, noticing how many children the family had: six. "To take care of the kids. And when the fire started, she tried to get them all out to safety, but she noticed those two were missing, so she ran back to find them."

"Well, thanks for your help," Grayson commented. "You probably need to get back to Gotham. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable with any of the questions I was asking before."

"It's no problem," Matt assured.

"Yeah, well, I lived most of my life in Blüdhaven," he explained. "Nightwing was our urban legend, and we all knew that he used to be part of Batman's team—the original. My grandfather always told my cousins, brothers and sisters, and me stories about Nightwing, some from the days when he was in Gotham. But that's what they were: stories. We had no way of knowing what really happened, so we had to go by what my grandfather remembered and what he probably made up. He wasn't all that fond of the original Batman, but he respected him, even if it was a bit grudgingly. He said that he never gave up protecting the people important to him, even if it was hard to tell if he did care about them. I always wondered about the whole truth, why the two of them split ways, but I guess it doesn't matter."

"They had their own destinies to follow," Matt answered. "That's what it all comes down to."

"Batman, no matter what my grandfather thought about your father, it doesn't matter either," Grayson said suddenly. "He always thought your father was a hero, and he thinks the same of you. He may not agree with either of your methods some of the time, but he has to admit that he admires what you're doing."

"Thanks," Matt replied. "It was good meeting you."

"Good meeting you too."

Matt returned to the Batmobile and headed back to Gotham, Carter Grayson's words still echoing in his head. He considered telling Terry and Bruce, but changed his mind. They probably already knew. Even without hearing it for themselves, they probably already knew.

A couple of hours later, he returned to his apartment, took a shower, and checked his e-mail. It was almost dawn, but he wouldn't have been able to fall asleep anyway after all of the excitement he'd just gone through. He could always take a nap after class.

There was another e-mail from an unfamiliar address in his inbox. Unsure whether or not it was Justice League-related, he opened it. It read:

"_You may be wondering how I knew to write you. I figured out your brother's identity pretty quickly, and I managed to get Barbara to admit that you took over for a little bit. She mentioned the Cadmus case you're on, and I did a little investigating on my own. Your brother was investigating a couple of robberies in Blüdhaven that involved high-end technology, the kind of stuff that would be part of a Cadmus plot. He wasn't looking for that connection, so he probably didn't think of it. I was planning on waiting for you to figure that out on your own or for your brother to come back and take over the case and find the connection, but I got a call from my grandson earlier, telling me about how you two went into a fire together to save three people. He said that he could see why people respected Bruce and your brother, and he definitely respects you. I don't sleep much anymore, but I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep if I ignored everything he said, so I'm sending you the names of the two companies to look for in your brother's case files. You'll probably be able to find a connection to your case._

"—_Dick Grayson."_

"Thanks," Matt whispered. This was all he'd hoped to find, and he was glad to have it. He briefly remembered Kai's comment about needing to settle the past in order to move on into the future. It had taken more than sixty years, but that had finally happened.

Tomorrow, he'd check the Metro Tower database and try to access Terry's files. It was time to bring closure to other parts of the past as well.

**Carter Grayson is named off of the Red Ranger in _Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue_, although this Carter bares only the slightest personality resemblance to that one (mainly just being heroic and being firefighters). The idea basically came from Ellen Brand's "Legacy." And as for who Dick wound up with, that's up to you to figure out.**


	8. Falling into Place

Brick Ballads  
Chapter Seven: "Falling into Place"

In retrospect, Matt probably should have realized that the link between Dick Grayson's tip and this current case would be in Terry's restricted folders. He'd tried guessing the pass-code, even hacking, but Terry had learned his computer skills from Bruce and Max. Matt didn't stand a chance against the security. Each time he tried to crack it, he was promptly logged out of Terry's account and the computer shut itself down. The only good thing that came out of it was that alerts were sent to Superman, and even that was a mixed blessing. Matt was caught somewhere between frustration and embarrassment when Superman came into his quarters.

"Why are you trying to access Terry's files?" he asked once the door closed.

"I got a tip last night on the case," Matt explained. "They told me to check through Terry's recent case files. There's a possible connection to Cadmus and this case."

There was a look of relief on Superman's face. "Let me put in the master pass-code."

Matt gratefully stepped away from the rebooting computer and let Superman sit down. When the login page appeared, he typed in the master pass-code, giving him unrestricted access to the Justice League database. Noticing the impressed look on Matt's face, Superman added, "Just one of the perks of being the leader." He opened Terry's folder and found the archived cases. "Which ones are you looking for?"

"Two high tech robberies in Blüdhaven," he answered. "Neotech and Gillis Industries."

Superman scanned through a few files before asking, "Are these the ones you're looking for?"

Matt skimmed the reports and answered, "That's them. Major technology, almost on the level of Cadmus."

"If there is a link, I wouldn't be surprised if it is Cadmus tech, or something developed from it," Superman replied. Matt shot him a semi-confused look.

"But Cadmus tech is illegal, isn't it?"

"It is, but remember: it was restricted before it was illegal. Back when it just had limitations on it, technology began to incorporate elements of Cadmus tech, and those new discoveries were just too important to ban. A lot of the technology we have today comes from Cadmus research: organ cloning, seamless integration of computers into everything. Even your suit's circuitry evolved from technology Cadmus experimented with." Matt blinked in surprise. He'd never considered that Cadmus could be _beneficial_ and not just destructive.

"So the Neotech and Gillis robberies were to obtain Cadmus tech for some plan against the JLU?" he deduced. "This sounds way too complicated for just a few guys to pull off. There's got to be some kind of alliance."

"You caught onto that pretty fast," Superman complimented. "I think you're right; there's definitely a larger group of our rogues working together." He frowned. "This won't be good, if we've learned anything from the Injustice Gang and the Legion." At the confused look on Matt's face, he added, "Way before your time, Matt."

"I think I still get what you mean, though," he answered. "More people can accomplish a goal as a team than on their own."

Superman nodded. "That's the entire principle the original League was based on. We'd defeated a powerful enemy by working together. It made me realize that I couldn't save the world on my own, and neither could the rest of us. And even though we were so different, we formed the Justice League because we knew it was the only way we could fight another crisis like that when it came. That was also the reason for calling the world's heroes together for the second League after the Invasion."

"But villains don't always think that way, right?" Matt questioned. "I mean, the League can work together well because they're willing to put every personal thing aside in order to accomplish something. And you don't exactly tolerate it when people don't work as a team."

"What are you getting at?"

"I don't know," he confessed. "Just remembering something about my fight with Stalker. He knew right away that I wasn't Terry, so he wasn't willing to fight me. He even went so far as to make sure Parasite didn't kill me and then called everyone to retreat when Warhawk and I were down."

"Well, Stalker _is_ obsessed with fighting Terry…"

"No," Matt replied. "It didn't seem like that. He said something when he called them back. I can't remember exactly what it was, but it sounded almost like he'd had an argument with them before. I'll ask Bruce if the suit archived the battle."

"It's bothering you that much?"

"The Iniquity Collective was attacking Graves Corp. I may not have gotten through all the files, but I know Graves Corp hasn't been attacked outright since Mercy Graves completely took over from Lex Luthor. I also know that Luthor was involved in Cadmus."

"So you think that the Iniquity Collective was involved in this case?"

"It's too coincidental. Waller was attacked the same night. There are only three people Waller would feel comfortable contacting: you because you worked with her when she was liaison, Warhawk because his parents did, and Batman because the public believes one of those reasons or the other. And isn't it convenient that Warhawk and Batman were caught up in a battle with the Iniquity Collective? Most of them are Batman's rogues, so his squad would be sent out."

"You have a point," Superman agreed. "Can you prove anything?"

Matt sighed. "First, I'd need to find out exactly what it was that Stalker said. Then… I think I'd have to contact him somehow." Superman gave him a look that indicated his feelings on the idea. "I'm not going to fight him or anything—there's no way I'm screwing this up again—I just need to ask him. Just confirm my suspicions and everything. He knows Terry's identity because he knew to kidnap me."

Superman caught onto his train of thought. "So he would have known that Batman would have been out of town, and whoever was in the suit now was obviously not him."

"But still, he attacks Graves Corp even though it won't benefit him. Granted, if it's part of a plot to bring down the League, it's not going to be done immediately, so he'd have time to wait for Terry to get home."

"That's not exactly his style," Superman replied. "I've fought him a couple times. He wants to be the one to take down Terry. He thinks of it as a hunt. Too many hunters would destroy the point of it."

"No honor or thrill in it," Matt commented, remembering Stalker's words about killing cubs. "Add in that Terry's a part-timer, and there's less of a chance that he'd be involved in the battle. Then there'd be no reason for Stalker to do it."

"You have a good theory," Superman agreed. "You'd probably have to talk to Bruce about your idea. He wasn't happy about that battle, so you'll need to work to convince him about this."

"Figured I would," Matt replied. Someone knocked on the door. "It's open!"

The door slid open, revealing Green Lantern. "Superman, Batman, we need you down in the Simulation Room. Shinobi's found something."

"All right," Superman decided, getting up and walking out. Matt took the opportunity to turn to Kai.

"I thought Akira took time off like the rest of us," he whispered. "Did he spend his entire break running simulations?"

"The case was bothering him too much," Kai whispered back. "He searched Waller's house and reconstructed the scene in the Simulation Room. He's been in there for the past twelve hours."

"Did anyone try hauling him out of there?" Matt asked.

"I did," Superman answered, obviously having listened to their conversation the whole time. "Twice. Got him to eat and use the bathroom, and that was it." Lower, to Matt, he added, "If it was your brother or Bruce, I probably wouldn't even get that far." Matt blinked at his back. He knew of their stubborn streaks, but he never thought they were so bad that even the Man of Steel couldn't move them.

They were the first three to enter, and Shinobi didn't look too happy about that.

"Kai, I thought you told Rex and Merina to come too," he remarked.

"I told Merina," he replied. "She went to find Rex so I could get Kal and Matt. They should be here in a few minutes."

Matt looked at his friend with concern he never thought he'd feel for the guy when he first argued with him. "Akira, what's wrong? Are you usually this anxious?"

"He's not," Kai answered.

"It's something important," Akira insisted. "But we need to wait for Rex and Merina. Especially Rex."

"You think he can help with whatever you discovered?" Kent questioned.

"Yes," Akira replied. "Matt too."

Matt stared at him in surprised. He didn't see how he could contribute much to this; he'd just been following leads and trying to put the pieces of this puzzle together the whole time. He was about to ask this when Merina and Rex entered, the former somewhere between annoyed and amused, and the latter somewhat embarrassed and dripping water everywhere he stepped.

"Sorry," Rex apologized. "I was in the shower."

"What's the emergency?" Merina asked, visibly turning her attention away from Rex.

Akira brought up a small-scale hologram of Waller's compound and explained, "Waller said that one of her guards was killed in a different way from the other two: of a broken neck rather than disembowelment. That indicated that there were two intruders—one to ensure the other got into the compound and retrieved the data." The hologram shifted to display a guard-post. "This second intruder made his way through, destroying the cameras along the way. Unfortunately for him, the guard at this post saw him. He had to quickly kill him as effectively as possible before deleting the security files and stealing the Cadmus data."

"It makes sense," Kent agreed.

"But how did that guy manage to destroy the cameras getting caught?" Matt asked. "He'd have to come within viewing range in order to do it, and by the time he got the first few done, Waller's security team would have been all over him."

Kent looked at Akira and asked, "Magic user?"

Akira nodded and sighed, "Magic user."

"And that's what you want me and Matt to take care of," Rex realized.

"Yes," Akira agreed. "Your Nth metal harness will protect you, and they won't be so eager to attack if their magic gets disrupted."

"Wait," Matt interrupted. "I think you're forgetting something: I don't have any Nth metal on me. I'm prone. And isn't it difficult for humans to mine?"

"Fourth compartment on the right in your utility belt," Rex instructed. Confused, Matt checked and pulled out a batarang with silver edges. A slight charge was already building in it.

"Nth metal batarangs?" he asked in surprise.

"Nth steel, actually; I helped Terry make them specifically to fight magic users," Rex explained. "Although, they did come in handy during the Thanagarian peace talks." Matt raised an eyebrow underneath his mask. Somehow, he was starting to doubt that talking had actually happened at all during the mission to New Thanagar.

"Don't worry," Kent assured, noticing how Matt was still hesitant. "This isn't like old fantasy novels. We don't come across anything like instant killing spells. There's an equivalent exchange principle in magic: you have to give up enough in order to use a certain spell. The cost is usually magic, but if non-magic users need a spell's effects, they need to give up something else. An instant-kill curse would use far too much power to be worth it."

"They usually settle for just trying to maim us," Rex added. Matt shot him a look that clearly said "You're not helping." "But since you and I have Nth metal defense, we'll be safer than anyone else."

"Exactly," Akira agreed. "You two draw the magic user's fire while Kai and Merina handle the other."

"It's a good strategy," Kent replied. "Anything else?"

"Yes," Akira answered. "We should try and catch them tonight. The sooner, the better. We bait them into entering an area with us waiting for them to show up. When they do, we quickly subdue them and find out where the Cadmus information is."

"What do we use as bait?" Kai asked. "We can't possibly use Waller."

"I think I have an idea," Matt said. "But we'll need to delay Akira's plan until tomorrow at the soonest. I have a lead I need to follow first."

"You're going to ask while you're there, aren't you?" Kent guessed.

"Ask what?" Merina questioned.

"Tonight, I'm going to find Stalker," Matt stated calmly. Just as everyone began to argue against him, he added, "I'm not going to do anything. I'm just going to ask him something. Kent says he trusts me on this, and it's probably the only lead we have to finding these guys. When we faced the Iniquity Collective, they were attacking Graves Corp. That used to be LexCorp, so there may still be some Cadmus tech stored there under hundreds of loopholes in the law that keep the CEOs from getting arrested. If that's what they were after, they were probably involved in this plan against us."

"But you don't think they are anymore," Rex observed.

Matt shook his head. "I need to see if the battle was archived, but Stalker said something that implies that he didn't agree with the rest of them. If I confront him, I might be able to get some clues about what they're planning."

"Or he'll kill you," Akira stated flatly. His gray eyes met Matt's blue, and for a minute, they were back in that hall almost a week before. But this time, Matt wasn't going to let his volatile emotions get in the way.

"I know it's a possibility, but he specifically told me that he doesn't hunt cubs. I'm too immature to interest him. That alone might help. I don't think he'll underestimate me, but I'm pretty sure he won't kill me."

"But what if he doesn't tell you anything?" Merina asked.

"Then I'll try to play by his rules. Make him see that there's no benefit to letting someone else win the hunt. I hate having to think like that, but we need that information."

"I hope your plan works," Rex commented. "It's all we have."

"I know," he replied. "I won't let you down." Seeing that there was no more business to discuss, he got up and left the others to strategize the rest of Akira's plan.

He'd gotten about ten feet down the hall when Kai called out, "Matt."

He turned. "What, Kai?"

"You do know that the Justice League is a life sentence."

"What?"

"When you agreed to join us as a part-timer, subbing as Batman, you made a commitment to be part of us for the rest of your life, unless Superman decides otherwise." Kai looked like he wanted to leave it at that. The look on his face was serious, but Matt couldn't figure out why he was saying this.

"And?" he asked, too confused to let the issue go.

"Even though you're quitting, Matt, you're still part of the League. We may not call on you ever again, but we're not leaving you."

And suddenly Matt understood. Kai had been with the League since he was very young. They had been his family, or the closest he'd probably ever had. He treated them like family too, joking with Rex and Merina when Rex got lost, going out of his way to befriend Matt and train with him to get his mind off of his self-doubts, grabbing Akira and visiting him after they discovered the clones... They were the youngest of the seven League members who kept the Batman Beyond secret, and Matt realized that they'd become close friends in the short time he was there.

"I'm not planning on leaving you guys behind anyway," he finally answered.

"I'm coming with you when you question Stalker." There was no room for argument. Matt wasn't going to.

"All right. Bruce will probably agree better if he knows I'm not going alone."

Kai took out a boom tube generator. "Let's go then."

The portal opened inside the Tower and ended just outside Wayne Manor. Matt blinked for a few minutes, unused to the pulsing bright lights, and Kai waited for him to adjust back to the semi-darkness. It was his first time using the boom tube. It was efficient, but slightly painful.

"We're sticking to flying next time, all right?" he commented. Kai laughed.

Bruce was waiting for them inside. The way he looked at Matt indicated that he knew exactly what they were planning to do. Matt couldn't figure out if Superman had told him or if he'd just known from the start. Either way, he was still glaring.

"You're going then," Bruce stated, not questioning.

"I have to," Matt insisted. "This is the only lead we have."

"And you're not even sure if it is a lead," Bruce argued. "It might be a dead end."

"I'm willing to take that chance."

"Are you sure you're not going to lose your temper again?"

"Kai's coming too, to either help me or hold me back, whichever I need."

Bruce looked directly at Kai, who held himself with military composure he'd probably learned from the Green Lantern Corps. "Be sure nothing happens to him." To anyone else, it would sound like he didn't trust Matt. But Matt and Kai both knew what he meant.

"I will," Kai promised. "I don't abandon my friends." There were other meanings behind what he said, revealing everything he'd tried to help Matt with in the past few days. Between Kai's promise, Bruce's concern, and Terry's pride, Matt was glad he'd gone through all he had.

"We need to see if the battle with the Iniquity Collective was archived," he said. "I need to know exactly what it was that Stalker said before I question him."

"All right," Bruce agreed, taking them down to the cave.

He sat at the computer and motioned for Matt to come closer. Kai stood behind them as the Batcave's mainframe connected to the nano-computers within the suit. Matt watched the entire battle replay in his visor exactly the way he'd seen it that night. It was dizzying, especially when the video shifted to the ground from when he'd fallen, but he managed to concentrate on everything. Finally, the part he'd been waiting for came up.

"This is it," he whispered, more to himself than to the others.

He listened carefully and heard Stalker call out, "_Come! As I've said, this is not worth it."_

"'As I've said,'" Matt repeated.

"You got it?" Kai asked. Bruce stopped the replay when Matt nodded.

"He said 'as I've said, this isn't worth it,'" Matt replied. "That means he _was_ arguing with them about it." Turning back to Bruce, he added, "Thanks."

"Just go," he answered. Matt nodded and led Kai out.

* * *

Kai and Matt had split up to search the city for Stalker. Kai was the one who found him and told Matt to make his way over to the Wayne Enterprises building. Stalker would be waiting on the roof.

Matt had flown over as fast as he could, but stopped when he was about a block away. The Wayne Enterprises building wasn't the tallest in Gotham, but it cast the longest shadow. The original building had been demolished sometime in-between the Near Apocalypse and Terry's first mission, but it still had more history than any other structure in the city, except for the Manor. Flying up to it didn't seem right. Just like everything else he'd accomplished in this job, Matt would have to work to reach its heights.

He shot a line from his wrist as he stood on the edge of the first rooftop. It was hard work swinging over to the second; even with the enhanced strength the suit offered, Matt could feel the strain in his arm muscles from holding him up so many stories above the ground. His landing was worse: he tripped and landed on his face. At least six new bruises had formed on his chest, but groaning, he stood up and retracted the line, ready to try it again.

Sweat was pouring down Matt's face as he fired the last line. He had a whole new level of respect for Bruce, Drake, Grayson, and the Commissioner for managing to do this almost every night for years. He was in good shape, but it didn't prepare him for this. He gulped air before swinging over to the Wayne Enterprises building. His swing didn't get him high enough, and he was forced to grab hold of the side of the building and search for every handhold and foothold in order to climb up. He slipped twice and nearly fell only on the first. After that, he forced himself to ignore the throbbing pain in his arms and the stitch in his side.

"You are wasting your energy, cub," Stalker told him from the roof. "You are weak. Give up and rest."

"Not planning to," Matt gasped out between clenched teeth.

Stalker looked almost pleased. "You are stubborn."

Three agonizing minutes later, Matt managed to pull himself onto the roof, breathing heavily. He could feel his blood pulsing into his face, and he sat down until he felt strong enough to stand. Even though he'd relied on his arms most of the way, he couldn't manage the strength to get to his feet. Finally, once he caught his breath, he stood up and tried not to fall over.

"Are you all right?" Kai checked.

"Yeah," Matt assured. "I'm fine."

"You are growing stronger, cub," Stalker commented. "I watched you the whole time. You did not quit each time you fell. Others I know would turn away. You have earned my respect." Matt nodded in reply. "What is it you wanted to ask me?"

"You attacked Graves Corp when we fought," he stated. "There's very high-tech equipment there that used to be used by the government. Meanwhile, two unknown people snuck into the home of a former government liaison to the Justice League. I have reason to believe that these two cases are related."

"Is this the conclusion of a detective or of a small boy who can't let go of the past?" Stalker questioned.

Matt stared at him evenly. He didn't feel the least amount of anger this time. "When you called the others back, you said that you'd told them before that what you were doing wasn't worth it. I thought you meant the battle itself, but now I'm sure that you meant something bigger. Right now, a possible collaboration of League rogues has information that can take us down."

"You are maturing," Stalker noticed. "Yes, cub. The Iniquity Collective had been asked to help in this plan to eliminate the Justice League, using information the government kept on them before the Near Apocalypse. Inque, Parasite, and Shriek agreed to it immediately. I, however, did not."

"Because you knew the real Batman wasn't going to be around for you to hunt," Kai stated. "Are we right?"

Stalker looked at Kai with distaste before turning back to Matt. "Do you need your friends to fight for you?"

"Green Lantern is here to be sure I don't do anything I'll regret," he answered calmly. His words signaled Kai to ease off slightly. "Now, Stalker, are we right?"

"Yes," he replied. "I did not wish to waste my energy on anyone other than the real Bat."

"Which is why you pulled them back in the end," Matt deduced. "But at the same time, you don't want anyone else hunting Terry."

"Clever," Stalker commented. "Trying to appeal to me to reveal who is hunting you. Your brother would do the same."

"I'm not my brother," Matt said, feeling each word deep in his soul.

There was a moment of absolute silence as Stalker and Matt stared at each other, each daring the other to answer or leave. Matt let himself forget everything: his kidnapping, the battle, even the fact that Kai was still there. Nothing mattered until the moment when Stalker finally spoke.

"It's a loose alliance. There is no name because they do not plan on remaining allies. The leader is Altima." Matt noticed Kai's eyes widen at the name.

"What?" Matt questioned. "Who's that?"

"Altima is one of the most dangerous criminals to come from Apokolips," he explained. "He was one of Darkseid's generals before betraying him eight years ago. He's a cunning tactician, and even though he's partially crippled on his right side from fighting Darkseid, he can more than hold his own in a fight. The Green Lantern Corps has him ranked as an Omega Class threat."

"Omega Class?" Matt repeated, his eyes also wide behind his mask. He did not need Kai to explain what warranted an Omega Class label. Just the use of the last letter of the Greek alphabet was a good enough hint. "God, Terry's gone not even two weeks, and already it's the end of the world."

"We need to tell Superman," Kai decided. Matt nodded.

"But first, Stalker, is there any way you can get a message to Altima?" he asked. "He doesn't even have to know it came from you."

"What is it you wish him to know?" Stalker questioned.

Matt looked at Kai for a minute before answering, "The League will be guarding some incredibly sensitive information the government kept about a project called Batman Beyond." Kai blinked in surprise, but Matt continued, "Altima only has some references to the project. He doesn't have everything."

"And why should he believe that I would be willing to help him then?" Stalker asked.

"Because you've just discovered that the guy in the mask right now isn't Batman," Matt answered. "You want the _real_ Batman. As long as Altima spares him, he can do whatever he wants to the replacement."

"Matt…" Kai warned, but he wasn't listening.

"Do we have a deal?" he asked.

"You are cunning, cub," Stalker complimented. "Perhaps more so than your brother. I will pass along this information to Altima. Although I don't condone the slaughter of cubs, I will not be able to keep him from killing you. You will have to protect yourself."

"That's what I expected," Matt replied.

Stalker left, and Kai turned to Matt, his green eyes far more serious than normal.

"You do know what you're doing, right?" he checked.

"Not really," Matt confessed. "But it's the only thing we have." Kai sighed. "I'm not going to get myself killed."

"I hope to God you don't," he answered. Matt didn't say anything more, and neither did Kai. Silently, Kai activated a boom tube, and they made their way back to the Metro Tower.

**Graves Corp isn't canon, but Mercy Graves did take over LexCorp after Luthor was arrested. In the _Justice League _episode "Tabula Rasa," you see that she's in charge. I figured the best way for her to formally break all ties with him would be to change the name of the company.**


	9. Dark Knights

Brick Ballads  
Chapter Eight: "Dark Knights"

Matt walked up to Commissioner Gordon's secretary, Alene Richardson, and asked, "Is she in?"

Alene looked up from her computer and answered, "Yes, but maybe you'd be better off seeing her later. She's pissed."

Matt winced. "I think it'd be better if I just get this over with."

Alene put a comforting hand on his and promised, "I'll buy flowers for your funeral."

Feeling like a gladiator walking into the arena to meet the lions, Matt entered the Commissioner's office. She watched him with no expression on her face. This was _not_ going to be a good meeting.

"Just go ahead and yell at me," he said once the door closed. "Get it over with."

"From the sound of it, you've faced the others' wrath," she replied.

He nodded. "Kai gave me an earful while we walked back to the Simulation Room. Then I got a four-way yelling session with Superman, Warhawk, Shinobi, and Aquagirl. After that, Superman lectured me some more and handed me over to Bruce for another lecture. It was about three hours before I finally went home."

"And?" she asked.

"And I'm still going through with it," he asserted. "Stalker's already told Altima by now. We _have_ to go through with it."

She sighed and closed her eyes. "Please tell me you changed the names on the information, kept your identities safe."

"I couldn't. The information Altima has already refers to our identities. He'd be suspicious if there were different names listed."

"You at least know the danger you're putting yourself into?" she pleaded. "This is an Omega Class threat. They have that classification for a reason. Altima has the power to give _Superman_ a hard time."

"I know," he answered.

"No, you don't," she argued, getting up from her desk. "Kid, I may not have been with the Justice League, but I've seen the outcomes of high rank threats. My best friend was Supergirl, and I saw her after she fought Galatea—both times. She was battered in both of those fights, and that's _with _her having Kryptonian strength to defend against Kryptonian strength. You won't be anywhere near as lucky."

"I know," he repeated. "But I have to do this."

"You don't," she insisted. "I gave you a choice when you first started this. You could walk away from everything and save yourself and your sanity. You can still walk away. Let the Justice League handle it. They have years of experience. You have only a few months."

"Commissioner, I decided to quit as a permanent substitute because I knew it would kill me inside," he reasoned. "I saw something that I knew would haunt me for the rest of my life, and I realized I couldn't handle seeing those kinds of things every night. But this choice is different. If I didn't offer up the Batman Beyond information, the League wouldn't be able to stop Altima. They would die—Terry would die—and it would be my fault for not doing something."

"It's better to live with regrets than to die."

"I don't think you really believe that," Matt argued. "And I know no one else would either. I'm doing this because I can choose my own fate. My fate is to be Matt McGinnis, and part of being Matt McGinnis is growing up and accepting responsibility."

The Commissioner sighed again. "And I suppose there's no point in arguing with you further." He shook his head. "Fine. Don't get yourself killed out there, kid."

"Believe me, I won't," he promised.

He walked out and flashed Alene a reassuring smile he didn't quite feel. She smiled back and tried to offer comfort—she'd heard the yelling, but not the words—and he nodded, pretending that the disagreement wasn't about anything as big as it was. When he stepped out of the station, he looked at the sky. The sun was shining brightly, warming the fall air. He'd promised everyone that he wouldn't die, but if he had to break that promise, he was glad that the last day he saw was like this. It wasn't perfect, but it was good enough.

He pretended not to notice the people following him as he walked to his mother's house. He stayed for half an hour, trying his hardest to put all thoughts of possible death aside. But even so, he couldn't help but feel guilty. She'd lost their dad so long ago, and it had hurt her even though they were divorced; how could she stand losing him? And he wondered if Terry ever had these thoughts before missions. By the time his visit was finished, he was positive his brother did.

They were still following him, and he gave no indication that he knew.

He called Cassie when he got home, and afterward, he and David went to a friend's apartment to catch a football game. At eleven, he excused himself, mentioning some "important business" he'd nearly forgotten about, and went back to his room. Almost ritualistically, he turned on the coffeepot and took some aspirin for his sore muscles before stripping off his clothes and pulling on the lightweight armor. As he sipped his coffee, he typed an e-mail to Terry that he hoped didn't sound too much like a goodbye. When his first cup was finished and his e-mail sent, he pulled on the suit and practiced a few martial arts techniques before drinking a second cup. Finally, certain that he was going to stay awake and more or less confident that he knew how to fight his way out of a bad situation, he took a last look at the photographs in his room. Friends and family grinned back at him, not knowing what he was about to face. Seeing that made him close his eyes and whisper a prayer before pulling on the mask and climbing out the window. Kai, Merina, and Rex were waiting on the roof, just as they had been the whole time.

"Are you ready?" Kai checked.

"As I'll ever be," he answered.

"All right, then," Rex decided. "Akira and Kal will be waiting at the Tower if we need back-up. Kal can't promise anything since he needs to keep everything under control, but he'll send out anyone we might need. The whole League's on alert." Matt nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

The stakeout was at Waller's, with Matt and Rex supposedly guarding the Batman Beyond info they'd "recovered" from her archives. Two hours had passed without any activity, and even with caffeine in his system, Matt felt like he was about to fall asleep. 

_No one ever mentioned how boring stakeouts can be,_ he thought. He wasn't asking to get killed, but he was tired of standing around, not doing anything. Every so often, Superman would check in to be sure everything was going fine. Each time he called, he sounded tenser than the last time. Not only was Matt bored, but now he was getting nervous. If something didn't happen soon, he was sure he'd go crazy.

"_Green Lantern to all points," _Kai whispered. "_Movement detected in south perimeter, headed toward Warhawk and Batman."_

"Copy, Green Lantern," Rex whispered back as he and Matt tensed for battle.

"_Aquagirl calling Batman and Warhawk,"_ Merina added. "_Something's moving along the west perimeter. It's heading south."_

"_I think I see it, Aquagirl," _Kai replied. "_They've rendezvoused."_

"That can't be right," Merina protested. "_He's still here."_

"Shadow clone?" Rex suggested. "If it's the magic-user, he might be using a replica to distract us."

"_I don't think so," _Merina answered. "_Shadow clones need to stay within sight of the caster. If so, I should be able to see the caster."_

"So we've got three instead of two?" Matt asked in surprise.

"We should have anticipated this," Rex realized. "One goes breaks in to kill the guards. The second destroys the cameras and deletes the video files so the third can steal the data." He swore in what Matt figured was Thanagarian before warning Merina, "Don't show your position. If he gets in, be ready to fight him off."

"_South gate breached!" _Kai alerted. "_They see me!"_

"Stop them if you can," Rex ordered, "otherwise call for back-up." Turning to Matt he asked, "They're coming. Ready?"

"I think so," he answered, reaching for an Nth metal batarang.

"Don't," Rex warned. "If it's not Altima or the magic-user, you don't want to waste them." Matt nodded and let a regular batarang jettison from his wrist.

"_Aquagirl to Warhawk and Batman,"_ Merina called. "_Third intruder jumped the fence on the west side. I'm heading in to intercept."_

"_Green Lantern to all points," _Kai grunted. "_I have the magic-user under control. Altima is heading toward your location."_

"_Aquagirl," _Merina added soon after. "_Intruder identified. It's Bahamut. I won't be able to get him in time. Be ready for both of them."_

Rex swore again. "Roger, Aquagirl. Batman and I are ready."

Matt settled into a fighting stance and watched the door carefully. It felt like only seconds had passed before a draconic-looking Atlantean broke in, blasting at them with a sphere of water. Matt took it directly in the chest and went flying; while he recovered, Rex was punching Bahamut across the room.

"_Batman, Warhawk, come in!"_ Kai cried frantically.

"Batman here," Matt groaned.

"_I have Bahamut," _he alerted. "_The magic-user must have used an illusion to switch places with him. You've got the real magic-user."_

"Shit," Matt muttered as he got to his feet. "Warhawk, that's the magic-user!"

The warning came too late. The fake Bahamut revealed a staff that smashed Rex across his ribs, where Nth metal didn't cover his costume. Matt threw the batarang he was holding, belatedly remembering that it was a regular one. The magic-user vaporized it easily, and Matt scrambled to grab an Nth metal one.

"Watch out," Rex warned, sitting up. "That's Azoth!"

The name meant nothing to Matt; Rex had only said it to keep up appearances that they had no idea the enemy knew he wasn't Terry. Azoth shifted from Bahamut's form to his own, a lean middle-aged man taller than Matt, carrying a ruby-topped staff. The staff fired a beam of magic toward him, but Matt didn't stick around to find out exactly what it would do. He threw the Nth metal batarang and ran. The batarang seemed to chip the ruby, but it didn't do enough to stop Azoth. He aimed once more at Matt, but this time the beam hit. Matt fell to the floor in agony, completely unable to move. The pain was so bad that he wanted to die.

There was a clang as the staff fell out of Azoth's hand. The magical torture stopped, and Matt took several convulsing breaths. He looked to the side and saw Rex pummeling Azoth once again. Matt took the opportunity to get up and throw another Nth batarang at the staff's crystal. This time, he made sure to destroy it.

"You all right?" Rex checked, holding onto a half-conscious Azoth.

"I'm fine," he replied. "Where's Aquagirl? She should have been here by now."

"She won't be joining you," informed a new voice. Matt turned to see a man wiping blood off of his fist and onto his blue-and-yellow suit. He felt his stomach drop at the sight of the blood, and from the corner of his eye, he caught Rex staring in just as much horror. Merina just _couldn't_ be dead.

"Pity," Altima commented lightly. "She was on her way to help you, but she never noticed me slipping behind her. I took care of her as quickly as I take care of the rest of my victims, although not as cleanly. She fought back, so I couldn't break her neck directly. I had to settle for slamming her into the wall. She bleeds quite easily when hit the right way."

"Fucking bastard," Matt swore. "Warhawk!" Rex dropped Azoth and got into a fighting stance.

"There's no need to keep up appearances around me," Altima remarked. "I know you aren't the real Batman. I admit, killing you won't be quite as satisfying as killing the real thing, but a kill is still a kill." Matt threw another Nth batarang. It cut Altima's cheek, the energy singeing his skin around the wound. The warlord put two fingers to the cut and examined the blood before licking his fingers clean. "Another resister."

"Believe it," Matt growled.

"Keep your head," Rex warned.

"You should listen to what he says," Altima mockingly advised. "This will only be more painful for you in the end."

He rushed forward before Matt even had the chance to blink. Matt quickly grabbed the circular blade in the center of his belt and slashed repeatedly at Altima. Only minor scratches appeared on his skin—the worst it had done was cut up his suit a little. Altima grabbed Matt's hand in a grip so hard that he was forced to drop the blade. He'd never been so grateful for the extra armor layer; even though it was fairly thin, it was the only thing keeping Altima from breaking his wrist.

Rex slammed into Altima from behind, nearly knocking Matt over. Matt could only guess that he'd delayed attacking in order to be sure that Altima wouldn't kill Matt if he got too close.

"What are you doing?" Rex demanded. "You'll die here! Get out and check on Aquagirl!" The reminder of Merina's injury kept Matt from arguing. Instead, he ran directly for the west entrance.

"Batman to Superman!" he shouted into his radio. "We need back-up!"

"_Superman here._ _What's your status?"_

"Three intruders, one of which is down, another held by Green Lantern. Warhawk's fighting Altima now. Aquagirl's injured, possibly dead—we need help now!"

"_Roger. I'm sending Shinobi, Barda, and Micron."_

Matt finally found Merina lying crumpled on the floor, her stomach bleeding. Murmuring, "Please don't be dead, please don't be dead, please don't be dead," he checked her pulse and sighed in relief when he found it. "Send a med team too," he added. "I found Aquagirl. She's alive, but badly injured. Altima hit her hard."

"_All right,"_ Superman answered. "_Barda's coming first to get her. Stay where you are."_

Matt breathed heavily, waiting a few minutes for Barda to come through a boom tube. She helped him stabilize Merina enough to send her back to the Metro Tower. All the while, Matt was shaking.

"Not used to it?" Barda guessed. "I don't blame you. I still have nightmares of my friends dying after decades of battle experience. It's not strange for you to feel the same after just fifteen years."

_Fifteen _weeks _is more like it,_ Matt thought. Aloud, he asked, "Why did Altima depend on Azoth and Bahamut to get in? Why not use a boom tube?"

"The Green Lantern Corps destroyed his last generator soon after he betrayed Darkseid," she explained. "It was easy; he was still weak from the close escape. They couldn't manage to bring him in, but they at least limited his range of havoc."

"I'm going back in there," he decided. "Make sure Warhawk's all right."

"He should be, but good idea," she agreed. "At least help him retreat if you have to."

Matt ran back toward the battle zone, forcing his fear and anger to dissipate. He needed a clear head if he wanted to survive this night. The rhythm of his feet hitting the floor matched his heartbeat, giving him something to concentrate on as he tried to get back.

By the time he returned, Rex was half-beaten, trying to hold back Altima. Neither of them noticed Azoth beginning to wake up, so Matt knocked him unconscious again before grabbing the staff and smashing it against the back of Altima's head. It didn't do all that much, but it got him to lose focus on his battle with Rex long enough to be thrown aside.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Rex questioned. "I told you to get out of here."

"Barda, Shinobi, and Micron are here to help," Matt explained. "They got Aquagirl to safety. She's alive."

"All right," he answered. "Help until Lantern or one of the others gets to us. But the next time I tell you to go, don't come back, understood?"

"Understood," Matt answered, grabbing an explosive batarang. He threw it at Altima, who tried to destroy it, thinking it was a standard one. When it exploded on him, Rex flew forward and started beating on him. Matt, remembering that Altima was partially crippled in his right side, let Rex's attack act as a diversion as he threw electric and Nth batarangs. They hit decently enough, and Altima howled in pain as his nervous system fried.

"Batman, Warhawk, get out of the way!" Kai ordered, rushing in. His warning came just in time; neither had noticed Altima focusing the electrical energy into his right hand. Kai managed to get a shield around them before the electricity exploded, destroying the Batman Beyond archives and killing Azoth.

"At least he didn't get the information," Rex commented.

"Where'd he go?" Matt asked, trying his hardest not to look at Azoth's burned corpse. Almost as soon as he asked this, Akira sent out a call on the radio.

"_Shinobi to all points. Altima just got past me. I'm trying to intercept. I need back-up."_

"Batman to Shinobi," Matt answered quickly. "I'm on my way."

"Matt, don't—" Kai started, but he'd already extended his wings and fired his jets, flying out of the room.

"Shinobi, this is Batman, where are you?" Matt checked.

Shinobi groaned, "Northeast side of the complex. I can't hold him back much longer."

Matt whipped to the left, meeting only a large window at the end of the hall. He closed his eyes and put his arms over his head to shield himself as he smashed through the bulletproof glass at high speed. He hovered for only a minute to brush the shards off and locate Akira and Altima, who were fighting a few yards away. Akira had pulled a sword out of a sheath on his back and was slashing at Altima, who easily dodged each thrust. As Matt flew closer, Altima grabbed the blade and snapped it in two before backhanding Akira across the face. The ninja hit the ground and Altima continued his escape.

Matt landed next to Akira and checked his vitals. He was still breathing, and his pulse was steady, but part of his skull looked like it had fractured from the blow.

"Damn," Matt whispered. "Batman to Metro Tower. Shinobi's down and Altima's escaped again. I'm going after him. Send a med team for Shinobi."

"_Wait for back-up!"_ Superman ordered.

"There's no time!" Matt argued. "He's getting away. I'll follow him and you can send back-up to my location."

Superman sighed, "_Fine. Turn on your homing signal. And be careful."_ It was a pointless warning. After seeing the damage Altima had done to Merina and Akira, there was no way Matt was going to take any unnecessary risks.

Altima was heading into the city itself. Matt called the Batmobile so he could follow easier. He wanted to stop Altima before he had the chance to hurt any of the dozens of people that would be walking around Gotham, but he also knew that he wasn't strong enough to be able to. All he could do was hope Altima would avoid the civilians.

He was glad to see that Altima did. It seemed the former general had determined that it would be too risky for him to encounter civilians when he was sporting some injuries from the JLU. But at the same time, he seemed to be aware of Matt's presence. He darted into a narrow alley, forcing Matt to abandon the Batmobile.

"Batman to Superman," he whispered. "Altima's still running, but I can't follow in the Batmobile. Is my back-up anywhere near?"

"_We can't get a boom tube to open in such a narrow area," _Superman replied. "_And there's too many people around to safely open one in Gotham City proper. Our flyers can get to your location faster, but it's still going to take some time."_

Matt was about to respond when a snake-splicer attacked him from behind. He managed to throw her off, but she landed in front of a group of others. They were fairly standard bruisers—not even enough to be called Batman's lesser rogues—but they would be enough of a distraction to keep Matt from chasing Altima. Now he had to agree with Kai's assessment of Altima the night before as a "cunning tactician."

A blond fox splicer launched himself at Matt, who quickly threw an electric batarang at him. As the fox splicer fell, a bear splicer came up and swiped at Matt, throwing him against a wall. Before he could get up, the splicer grabbed him, intent on squeezing the life out of him. It got harder and harder to breathe, and Matt felt his ribcage starting to give under the pressure. Thinking fast, he activated his jets and broke free, flipping in the air before almost landing in a heap on the ground. The other splicers came in as he tried to catch his breath, but suddenly, someone in black leapt ahead of him and took on the other splicers.

Matt pulled himself to his feet and stared in utter confusion as someone in Bruce's old suit advanced on the bear splicer, looking ready to perform a roundhouse kick. The splicer anticipated this and stepped back, but the second Batman whirled forward and turned it into a tornado kick. The splicer dropped with a thud, and the others moved in for the kill. Knowing that his ally was outnumbered, Matt ran forward. An eagle splicer flew at him, but he flew up before propelling himself down over her. She broke one of her wings when she landed, but she was far from prone. She clawed at Matt with her talon-like nails before he hit her underneath the chin with a front kick. This time, she didn't get up. When he turned around, the other Batman had taken care of the snake splicer already and was fighting off a tiger splicer.

"Duck!" Matt shouted, and his ally moved away seconds before an Nth metal batarang hit the splicer. He went down harder than Matt intended—he'd meant to pull out an electric batarang, after all, but in the rush of battle, he'd mixed up the compartments on the belt. The other Batman looked like he was about to thank him, but a last splicer interrupted. It had been spliced so often that gender and species were impossible to determine. Matt readied another batarang, but the other Batman grabbed the chimera's arm and hooked his leg around one of its. He then pulled it to the ground and punched it in the face, knocking it out.

"Yet another good reason splicing's illegal," he commented sarcastically. Matt blinked at the voice.

"Terry?" he recognized, and his brother removed his mask. He considered asking what he was doing here, but it never came out. Instead, he wryly said, "You look good in the suit."

"Thanks," Terry answered. "Bruce told me about the stakeout. I got my motorcycle and headed over as fast as I could. When I noticed your signal coming over here, I followed."

"Why'd you take that suit?" Matt questioned. "Why not your old one?"

"It's been disconnected," he explained. "It would have taken too long to reconnect it to the system, and I figured I needed to find you fast."

"Right," Matt replied with a bit of disappointment. There it was: big brother here to take over and save the day. Matt would have to go back and tell the rest of the League that the situation was under control, and everything would be okay.

Terry pulled his mask back on and said, "Lead on." Matt stared. "It's your case, isn't it? You should see it through."

A smile found its way across Matt's face, and he sorely regretted being a brat to his brother for so many years. "Thanks."

The brothers continued their pursuit, Terry on the motorcycle and Matt flying just ahead of him. Along the way, Matt called Superman back and told him he didn't need the back-up, and Terry explained why he'd cut his honeymoon short:

"I was a bit worried when you called and said you weren't sure you could handle everything," he admitted, "but I didn't think I had to come back until you sent me that e-mail."

"Oh," Matt answered. "That."

"Yeah," Terry replied. "I trained as a detective for fifteen years—I think it would be disappointing if I couldn't read between the lines and realize something was completely wrong. Dana called up the airline and told them we needed an immediate flight out because of a family emergency."

"Sorry."

"It's not your fault. I just wish someone would have told me before my little brother offered to sacrifice himself to an Omega Level threat."

"Yeah," Matt replied awkwardly. "I got a lot of lectures about that."

"Expect more later, just not from me. I've done enough stupid things to know I shouldn't talk. But first, we've got to find Altima."

Matt squinted and activated the zoom on his visor. A figure was running farther ahead, limping as he dragged a barely responsive right side.

"I see him," Matt declared. "He's just entered the old Crime Alley. How fast can your bike go?"

"Not fast enough right now," Terry replied. "Go ahead. I'll catch up."

Matt fired his jets as much as they would allow, catching up to Altima quickly. Rather than dropping, however, he lowered himself and barreled directly into Altima, knocking them both across Crime Alley. Matt got to his feet first and ran up to kick him, but Altima grabbed him by the leg and threw him against a brick wall. He felt something crack as he hit, and he prayed it wasn't his spine.

"I must admit I'm impressed," Altima commented. "I did not expect a replacement to give me so much trouble. It was fun while it lasted."

Altima came closer, ready to finish him off, but he fired back batarangs, forcing Altima to swat them away as Matt got up. Next to him was a large dumpster, so he shoved it toward Altima, trying only to delay him for as long as humanly possible. He was not going to let himself die.

Altima tossed the dumpster aside and came for Matt again, but Matt drove three consecutive punches into his stomach. Thanks to the enhanced strength the suit's circuitry lent him, his blows were strong enough to leave Altima winded for a moment, giving him time to bring a drop kick down on his shoulder. But Altima reached up and backhanded Matt on the right side of his face. He barely registered the sound of Altima running again as he blacked out.

He could only have been out for a few minutes because he opened one eye to see Terry leaning over him, mask off and first aid kit in hand. He carefully opened his right eye, feeling tears slide down his face. The right lens of his mask's visor was cracked, indicating how hard he'd been hit.

"You all right?" Terry checked.

"I think so," he answered, ripping off his mask and clutching his eye. "My eye's killing me."

"Let me take a look at it," Terry ordered. Matt reluctantly took his hand away and saw a streak of blood on his palm. "Looks like a broken blood vessel. You're going to have a black eye in the morning."

"Guess I weakened him enough to keep him from hitting as hard as usual," Matt commented. "He nearly killed Merina and broke part of Akir—Shinobi's skull." He groaned and tried to sit up. "Thank God he doesn't finish off his enemies when he thinks he's beat them enough." Terry handed him a piece of gauze and he placed it at the edge of his eye to slow the bleeding.

"Think you can keep going?" Terry asked. Matt shook his head.

"No, this is it for me. I think he nearly broke my ribs when he threw me against that wall. I won't be able to fight him off again."

"All right. Let's get higher up." He put one arm around Matt and fired a grappling hook, letting it carry them both to the roof of one of the buildings. Matt called the Batmobile over, and it soon landed next to them. He rested against the warm metal as Terry handed him a cold patch from the first aid kit. He put it over his eye and winced at the cold against his bruise.

"Are you going to be okay here?" Terry checked. Matt nodded. "All right. I'll keep going after Altima."

"In that?" Matt questioned, gesturing at the costume. "Terry, that thing's made of Kevlar; it'll never stand up to a laser, much less Altima." Ignoring his injuries, he pulled off his suit, remarking, "You've got a better chance in this."

"You're sure?" Terry asked, taking the suit.

"You're Batman, not me."

"Thanks," Terry replied. It took him a short time to get out of Bruce's suit and into his own, and when he was done, he looked back at his brother and promised, "I'll be back."

"I know you will," Matt answered. Nodding, Terry flew off.

With a groan, Matt pulled himself up and opened the canopy to the Batmobile. It hurt when he tried to climb in, but he nearly sank into the seat in relief when he managed it. Placing the first aid kit and Bruce's suit in his lap, he pulled off his shirt-armor and started bandaging his ribs. His wrist was bruised from when Altima forced him to drop his blade, so he bandaged that next, slipping in a couple of cold patches between the bandages. A little more digging through the medical kit revealed a bottle of aspirin. He took one pill and pulled his shirt back on before accessing Crime Alley's remote cameras. Even though he wasn't going to fight the battle, he could still watch it.

_Just like old times,_ he reflected. In a way, there was little difference between his watching the battles on the news as a child and what he was doing now. He was just more involved this time.

Terry had caught up with Altima rather quickly. They were currently in hand-to-hand combat, Terry blocking one of Altima's powerful blows. As he did this, however, he kicked Altima's feet out from underneath him—something neither Matt nor anyone else had thought of. Altima fell, giving Terry the chance to go on the offensive. Watching each punch and kick, Matt was surprised at how fully and deeply Terry had become Batman. There was no transition from one to the other; one minute, he'd been the sometimes annoying older brother Matt had always known, and the next, he was the Dark Knight of Gotham City. Matt would never have managed it.

_Yeah,_ he thought. _That's Batman, right there—my big brother._

And then, just as suddenly, he was Terry again. The fox splicer Matt had fought earlier had also caught up, attacking Terry from behind. He was pinned, trying to fight him off while Altima escaped.

_What the hell?_ Matt wondered. _How'd he miss that?_ It was something Batman should have been ready for, but it was something Terry wouldn't see.

And finally, Matt understood his brother's duality.

Altima was heading farther into Crime Alley. Matt could call the League for back-up, but by the time they got there, it would be too late to prevent Altima from hurting anyone. Matt grabbed the Batmobile's controls and followed Altima's trail, ignoring the bumpiness of the ride. He could throw up later if he had to.

When he found Altima, he didn't even land. Instead, he brought the Batmobile low enough so that he could drop to one of the roofs and climbed down an old fire escape to the ground. The rusty ladder nearly broke when he reached bottom, but he jumped off and ran after Altima's retreating form. He'd only brought a bola with him, something he'd found in Bruce's utility belt, remembering how Terry had thrown Altima off-balance. He had only one shot, and he didn't intend to screw it up.

His leg muscles burned and it hurt to breathe, but Matt kept running. Finally, he'd caught up with the limping Altima, who looked like he was also worn out. Matt paused to aim and throw the bola, which hit its target. Altima tripped and fell forward. He was trying to untie the bola from around his ankles when Matt reached him. They looked at each other for all of one second before Matt smashed a roundhouse kick in his face. When Altima finally fell, Matt collapsed in a heap nearby.

"I thought you were going to leave it to me," Terry commented, walking over. Matt gave him a tired grin.

"After you got blindsided by that splicer?"

Terry shrugged. "So I'm not perfect." He reached out a hand and helped Matt to his feet. "Batman to Superman. Altima captured. Send Green Lantern for pick-up." And silently, the brothers stood against the wall, waiting for Kai as the long night ended.

* * *

Matt spent the whole next day in bed. A short visit to the Metro Tower's infirmary took care of some of his worse injuries, and the personnel determined that he had fortunately managed to avoid breaking anything. Nobody asked any questions about the mysterious civilian Batman had brought back, so Matt assumed everyone else had taken care of the explanations, side-stepping the Batman Beyond issue. 

He was still sore when he made his way to Commissioner Gordon's office, and he worried the secretary when she saw him. Alene insisted on making him sit as he waited for the Commissioner to finish with her meeting, and she handed him aspirin from her purse. When the officer the Commissioner had been talking to left her office, he stared at Matt for a few minutes before walking away. Matt took that as his cue to enter.

The Commissioner was sitting at her desk, covering a grin with one hand. Matt grinned back. He supposed he did look somewhat funny to someone who had seen worse injuries in the line of duty. With his black eye and staggering walk, he looked like he'd come out as the loser in a bar fight. His cover story of a football game gone horribly wrong didn't help matters any.

"Terry told me what happened with Altima," she commented when he sat down. "Sounds like you're quite the hero."

"Two days ago, I'm an idiot. Today I'm a hero?" Matt asked. The Commissioner merely smiled in reply. "Kai's trying to get the Green Lantern Corps to give me a medal or something. The Royal Family of Atlantis wants to reward me too for capturing the guy who nearly killed their princess. And on the record, Superman's awarded Matt McGinnis honorary membership in the Justice League Unlimited. Off the record, he says he doesn't know any other way to thank me other than to say that temporary or not, I definitely earned that Batman III status. But they're the ones who did all the work—Altima only exhausted himself fighting Terry, Warhawk, and Shinobi, so he was nowhere near his strongest when I got there."

"You're still the one who brought him in. That's what really matters."

He shrugged. "I guess."

The Commissioner went over to her coffeepot. "Coffee or tea?"

He was about to say coffee when he thought otherwise. "I'll have tea. Less caffeine. Plus it feels like I've been living off of coffee and aspirin for the past two days."

"And this has nothing to do with the fact that you went through something harder than you've ever faced before?" she teased, pouring milk into the cup and handing it to him. "So was it strange seeing your brother wearing Bruce's suit?"

"Yeah," he answered. "Probably weirder than he must have thought it was to see me in his."

"Did you ask why he didn't just take his old one?"

Matt took a sip of his tea before nodding. "He said it got disconnected or something and it would have taken too long to reconnect it."

"You've seen the suits in the Batcave, right?" He nodded. "Have you wondered why Terry's original suit is in the first case?"

"I tried asking Bruce about it, but I never got the chance. What's the story behind that anyway?"

The Commissioner leaned against her desk and explained, "It happened a few years ago. Terry was twenty-five. Someone managed to hit him with enough electricity that it fried the suit's circuits. He should have been completely paralyzed, but he managed to fight off his attackers and make his way back home."

"How?"

"The old-fashioned way: by grappling hook, then by foot. Anyway, Bruce had stopped monitoring him sometime after the Joker's return, so he had no idea what had happened. I was supposed to meet up with Terry, but when he didn't show, I went to the Manor to find out why. We tried searching for his signal, but the suit's connection to the cave was completely cut off. I nearly started a search of the city for him when we found him at the front door, passed out. He'd exhausted himself trying to get back. After Terry woke up, Bruce showed him how the suit worked and taught him how to build a new one. The one he's wearing now is the one he wound up building."

Something lingered in the back of Matt's mind. "When he was twenty-five?"

The Commissioner nodded. "He'd proven himself plenty of times before, but this time he really managed to prove to himself that he was better than he gave himself credit for. Bruce put up that old suit in place of his own, and I stopped calling him kid." They were silent for a minute before she asked, "So what did you come here for? I know you didn't pull yourself out of bed just to show off your battle scars."

He laughed. "Actually, I was wondering how I'd go about enrolling in the police academy."

She returned to her chair and stared at him intensely. "You want to be a cop?" He nodded. "Why?"

"It's just like I said when you tried to talk me out of being Batman. I like the detective work and being able to help people. In the past few days, I've saved three people from a burning building, civilians of two major cities, and the entire JLU. I may not be able to handle the pressure of saving the world, but the little things mean a lot."

"Being a cop isn't easy," she warned. "Just like being Batman, sometimes you have to make the toughest calls, and you can't save everybody. In some ways, it's harder. Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes."

"All right then." She smiled. "I knew we'd be having this conversation sooner or later. The day you came in and told me you couldn't continue as Batman, I realized you were still going to be dedicated to protecting what you love. Technically, you should be starting the academy in January, but I did manage to find other college students who have applied and couldn't make the July academy deadline. I'm going to see about starting a special academy class next month. I should be able to manage it. Now, about your regular schooling—have you taken psychology yet?"

"No."

"You'll want to. Work up through criminal psychology, and be sure to take a class in forensics. Gotham State is the best in the state for classes in criminal justice."

"Why am I not surprised?" Matt remarked with a grin. "But what about academy training? Won't it take up too much time for me to be a full-time student?"

"Your best bet would probably to switch to part-time schooling," the Commissioner agreed. "You've just started classes, right?"

He nodded. "Well, close enough. We've been in school for about a month now. But if I talk to my advisor, I should be able to switch. He'd probably be delighted to hear I finally have a major I'm going to stick with." He got up and headed for the door. "Thanks, Commissioner."

"Matt," she interrupted. He noticed the shift from "kid" immediately and turned. "As long as we're not on duty, call me Barbara."

"All right, Barbara," he answered somewhat hesitantly. "Thanks."

"I'll try to get you assigned to me. I can't promise anything, but I should be able to pull it off without much problem. It'll be nice to have a protégé of my own." He smiled and walked out the door, on his own road to the future.

**While it may have seemed like Matt took care of Altima a little too easily, like he said, Altima fought Rex, Akira, and Terry, who are a lot better than Matt and have a lot more training. Even supervillains get exhausted sometimes. Only the epilogue left, now.**


	10. And Forever

Brick Ballads  
Epilogue: "And Forever…"

The twelve graduating students of the Gotham City police academy's special program stood perfectly still in their single-file line, looking out at the audience. Today, they'd earned their badges; after six months of rigorous training, they were officers of Gotham City.

Matt watched his mentor, Barbara, as she delivered a speech to the families and friends gathered to watch the graduation. As she mentioned something about some students being "a real pain in the ass sometimes," he hid a grin, knowing she was referring to him. And finally, she presented the graduating class of March 2075 to a roar of applause. Matt spied his mother in the audience, along with Terry, Dana, and Bruce. Behind them were Kai, Akira, Merina, Rex, David, and Alene. David and Alene had been a bit confused when Matt introduced them to his friends from the League because he'd carefully avoided mentioning just who they were. Fortunately, they just assumed Kai was a friend from high school and the other three were friends he'd made through Kai, which was close enough to the truth anyway.

Finally, the ceremony was over, and the rest of the students went off to join their friends and family to celebrate. In the meantime, Matt strayed behind to talk to Barbara. He'd been worried about his assignment to her, afraid that someone would object to her singling out one cadet to train personally.

"Congratulations, Matt," she informed. "You should be proud—you're the second person in the Bat-family to join the force."

"Thanks," he replied. "And about my assignment?"

"Don't worry about it. I'm still going to train you, but I want you to go through the different areas of the job too. You'll start out small—traffic duty, security detail, just the same as any other graduate. Depending on your performance, I'll move you to more difficult jobs. But, yes, you are assigned to me."

"Okay. I was wondering."

"I had this all sorted out from the beginning," she assured. "Bruce isn't the only one who knows how to think ahead. Now, go celebrate. I've got some paperwork to fill out, thanks to you guys."

He laughed and answered, "Thanks, Barbara," before running off to his friends and family.

The first one he saw was Terry. Being sure to keep his voice low enough so that his mother, David, and Alene couldn't hear, Matt warned, "One more word about me being Batgirl Beyond, and you're dead." Terry laughed.

Dana carefully got to her feet, aided by Merina. She was seven months pregnant with a baby boy she and Terry planned to name Bruce Warren, and she was having a hard time getting around, but that didn't stop her from attending the ceremony.

"Congratulations," she said. "You finally made it."

"Yeah," he replied, grinning.

His mother grabbed him in a massive hug, crying and whispering, "I'm so proud of you." It was several minutes before she let go, but he wasn't too embarrassed. He'd just graduated; she could afford to act like this.

"How does it feel to be in the force?" Kai asked.

"Great," he answered. "I finally know where I'm going."

"Hey," Terry interrupted. "You guys head to the Manor for the party. I'll pick up the cake. Rex, you don't mind driving everyone?"

"No problem," he replied before Terry ran off. Matt watched him leave, knowing exactly what would happen. There _was_ a cake, but there inevitably was a crime that Batman needed to stop. Terry would come back late and make up some excuse about traffic, and everything would go on as usual. It was just too usual a routine, sometimes. Looking at the slight worry on Dana's face, Matt realized she'd reached the same conclusion.

"Your brother's a nice guy, but kind of weird," Alene commented. "Is he always like this? Running off at random moments?"

"Always," Matt answered. "Otherwise he wouldn't be Terry." Walking over to Dana, he checked, "Are you okay?"

"I know he's going to be all right," she replied softly. "He always is, but I can't help but worry sometimes that one day he won't be. And someday, it's going to be our son doing the same."

"He'll be fine," Matt promised. "He's going to have two of the best teachers in the world to show him how to stay alive and sane."

"I know. And I'm glad you'll be in the force. Promise me you'll watch out for him when he puts on the mask."

"Of course," he answered. He meant it completely too. There was no way he would ever let his family come to harm.

And seventeen years later, the promise stayed with Commissioner Matt McGinnis as he watched his nephew fight off one of his own rogues. Bruce Warren McGinnis had just had his seventeenth birthday two weeks before, but he had been Batman for the past four months, so he'd had enough time to make some enemies. This particular one was a samurai calling himself Ronin. He'd injured two civilians before Batman arrived, and Bruce was determined to keep him from hurting anyone else. Right now, he was blocking Ronin's sword with his arms, almost falling over with the effort of trying to push him back.

Matt noticed one of his officers, a rookie cop, aiming his gun at Ronin. He put up a hand to warn him and shook his head. "You'll miss."

"But I can hit him," the officer protested.

"You'll miss," Matt insisted. "Batman's too close for you to hit Ronin. Wait."

Batman twisted out of the way as Ronin brought his sword down. With Ronin temporarily thrown off-balance, he fired two batarangs—one hitting Ronin's face, and the other striking his hand, forcing him to drop the sword. Realizing he was out of his element, Ronin didn't continue the fight. He bowed and ran off. Batman took off after him; all the while, Matt was thinking, _Damn, he's got to be pissed._

Matt had been appointed Commissioner ten months earlier, which saved Terry the trouble of having to explain to his predecessor that a new Batman would be taking over. Matt had enjoyed working with his brother, but his nephew was harder at times. Bruce had a good heart and always wanted to do the right thing, but he didn't take his failures very well. Each time he failed at something, he worked twice as hard to improve himself. At first, the habit had been a good thing—he was doing better in school with his extra studying, and he was learning how to take care of various types of threats as Batman. But now, he was pushing himself to the brink of exhaustion—Matt could see it in the way he'd fought that night. He was going to have to say something to him soon.

Having finished cleaning up the scene, Matt returned to his office. He smiled briefly as he walked in to see his desk. Barbara would have had plenty to say to him about worrying about his nephew, and she'd have even more to say to the boy about his bad habits. But she was gone now, dead for two years. She'd never gotten to see his appointment to her old position, but he knew she would have been proud.

The first generation was gone. As far as Matt knew, Grayson had been first, because his grandson, Carter, had shown up in his place at Bruce's funeral with instructions from his late grandfather not to accept any of the money he'd left them. Instead, he offered it to Matt and Terry, who had each inherited several million dollars. Barbara and Drake did the same, and the shocked brothers decided that the best thing to do was to donate the other shares to charity. Neither of them lived too lavishly, even though Terry lived in the Manor with Dana and their kids, Bruce, Rena, and Vincent. Matt, meanwhile, had a comfortable life with his wife, Alene, and daughter, Lynn. Both families knew the Batman secret, if not certain parts of the Batman Beyond secret—Matt, for one, still refused to tell Terry about the clones—so there were hardly ever odd questions about disappearances during holidays and birthdays. In fact, when Bruce spent most of his recent birthday fighting criminals, the rest of the family brought him his cake and presents when he got back.

A knock at the window brought Matt back to the present. He opened it to let in his nephew, who promptly removed his mask to reveal a cut on his temple.

"Thanks, Uncle Matt," he said. "Do you have any bandages?"

Matt pulled the first aid kit out from under his desk. "Right here."

"Thanks." Sitting in the chair in front of the desk, he opened up the kit and took out a roll of bandages. A small adhesive bandage went over the cut on his head while the roll went around one of his now ungloved wrists. "He got away," he reported somberly as he wrapped up his wrist.

"It's all right," Matt assured.

"No, it's not," he insisted. "I'm Batman. I should be able to do more."

"I thought your dad got you over that hero worship thing," Matt commented. When Bruce was thirteen, he'd tried stealing the suit to get back at the abusive parents of one of his friends. Terry had stopped him before he got the mask on, explaining that even though he wanted to make them pay, he had to leave it to the police. Whatever he had said apparently made his son realize Batman's limits and showed him the human side behind the mask. Unfortunately, Matt didn't think that Bruce managed to accept his own limits.

"I'm the fourth in a line of heroes. I've got a lot to live up to." He tied his bandage tightly—perhaps more tightly than he'd intended, by his wince.

"You'll find your own way."

"I know."

"Your mom and dad are worried. They think you're pushing yourself too hard. Even I've noticed it."

"I know. I try not to worry them, but…"

"But you feel like you're in your dad's shadow, just like you said. It's okay; I felt it too when I first put on the suit."

Bruce looked at his uncle with surprise. "You did?" Matt nodded. "How did you deal with it?"

"Well, Kai will give you the whole story if you ask him, but to spare you the details, I made the decisions I thought were right, even if I thought Terry would be against them. It wasn't the smartest thing in the world, but it was my choice."

"So what you're saying is that I need to step out of Dad's shadow?"

"I'm not saying anything," Matt replied. "You've got to figure that out for yourself. I promised your mom before you were born that I'd watch out for you. But I can't do anything if you don't take care of yourself, understand?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Uncle Matt." He put his glove and mask back on and walked toward the window. "I'm going home—going to try and fix things so I don't hurt anyone, or myself for that matter."

"I'm here if you want to talk."

"Thanks," he replied before flying out the window.

Matt closed the window after him, looking out at Gotham's skyline. Three heroes had found their destinies as they fought to protect that city, and now, he couldn't help but feel that a fourth had found his too.


End file.
